The Bachelor
by Sweet Sarcasm
Summary: Brooke Davis liked to meddle, so when Nathan Scott applies for her newly revived show, The Bachelor, her gears go into overdrive, and she gets Haley to join, who's also Nathan's first and former love. But there's a catch...and Nathan may lose Haley again.
1. A Suggestion of Some Sorts

**Title:** The Bachelor

**Author:** Sweet Sarcasm

**Summary:** Nathan and Haley had a spark which was put out by one little lie. Fast-forward a few years ahead, and we find Haley, working at a restaurant and Nathan, a totally successful basketball player. Their old friend Brooke Davis is the hottest TV executive on ABC, and she decides to revive her all-time favorite show, The Bachelor. When Nathan applies for the show, Brooke's gears go into overdrive, and she persuades Haley to join the show, convinced that her favorite couple will finally be together once again. The catch is, Haley is under disguise, and Nathan may never be with his true love if he makes the wrong move. (Alternate History)

**Author's Notes:** Hey, everyone, this is my first One Tree Hill story! Originally, the plot was intended for my Lily/James fandom, but I got tired of that idea. Anyway, this is an alternate history, so here's a rundown on what's going on so far:

Haley and Nathan never got married.

Brooke and Haley left Tree Hill for California shortly after their high school graduation.

This story takes place six years later.

* * *

"We need ideas, people!" shouted Victor Laughlin, slamming down a pile of manila folders. His employees cringed as the papers flew around the room, and quickly avoided looking at their boss. "ABC ratings are dropping down! We can't afford that!" He glared at everyone, and his gaze fell on an attractive brunette. "Davis! What the hell was up with your idea of a porn star falling in love with a gynecologist? It sucks!" 

Brooke Davis lifted her eyes to look at her boss. She was a pretty girl; thick brown hair, vivacious chestnut eyes, and a way of making people laugh. However, she had an idea that her charm wasn't going to work here. "Actually, that was your idea, sir," she murmured quietly. One of her friends, Denise Torres, poked her on her side.

Victor's face changed colors as quickly as a stoplight; from pink to a dark maroon. "Are you calling me an idiot, Davis? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"No," Brooke said quickly. "You're right, it was a horrible idea. I'm sorry I even suggested it." She grimaced, angry that she had resorted to taking the blame once again.

Victor glared at her again, examining her. "That's why I'm putting you in charge of the next show. You make it a success, you keep your job. Get a rating lower than seven, and you're out." He jerked his thumb at the glass door.

"But that's not fair!" protested Brooke, standing up. Denise tugged on her grey tweed skirt, but Brooke slapped her hand away. "Why is my job on the line? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You never do your work, you just read magazines all the time, and I always see you making some stupid dress. You're lazy and you don't live up to your potential. You're costing me a lot of money!" yelled Victor, saliva spraying the conference room. Brooke winced, but refused to back down.

"Brooke," Denise whispered urgently, still tugging on her friend's skirt. "Sit down. Please."

Knowing that she could indeed lose her job, Brooke glared one last time and sat down. "Glad to see that you've come to your senses, Davis," nodded Victor, smirking. He shuffled more papers around. "Now, the next time I see you, I want a full, well-prepared presentation. You screw up, Davis, and your days at ABC are over." He stood up. "See everyone else on Friday."

Everyone gathered their papers, and the chatter filled the tension-draining room. Brooke remained seated, and plopped her head on the surface of the glass table. Denise rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "Don't worry, Brooke, give him a few days and he'll stop PMSing," she joked. The young Latina had started working at ABC about the same time as Brooke. She was truly a quiet beauty; she had dark, black hair that she kept braided and soulful black eyes. Her words were tinged with a slight Spanish accent, and she often jabbered in Spanish. She and Brooke had bonded over the fact that they had three main things in common; their love for reality shows and Thai food, their obsession over hot British actors, and their dislike for Victor Laughlin and Chris Keller.

"Yeah, right," snorted Brooke, not looking up. "Remember Patrick Garnier?" Both girls cringed as they remembered what had happened to the legendary employee. Rumor had it that he his self esteem had dropped so much that he was now roaming the streets of Compton, selling crack door to door. It was then and there that Brooke decided not to aggravate her boss, for she really didn't fancy being humiliated in front of millions of viewers during primetime.

"Aw, is Brookie Wookie finally leaving ABC?" a taunting voice came from the doorway. Brooke didn't even have to look up to see who was speaking.

"Piss off, Keller," came her muffled reply.

Chris laughed, and walked over to the two girls. He was one of the vainest people Brooke had ever met which was a miracle in itself because she had bestowed herself that same title before she had come to LA. He was cocky and annoying (what normal person spoke in third person!) and a total man whore; it was no rumor that he was constantly screwing all the new secretaries. On top of that, he happened to be the male version of JLO; he could also sing and play the guitar like it was nobody's business. One song and a few beers later found Chris Keller's next victim alone in bed, wondering where the handsome singer had gone.

"Lighten up, Davis. You may not realize it now, but Laughlin just gave you one of the best things you'll ever get while you're over here," continued Chris, smirking. "Now you have more time to walk the streets. You won't get paid as much, but hey, at least you'll be useful to someone. Or someones."

"Son of a bitch," growled Denise. "You know, I think Laughlin just left to go to the bathroom. You better hurry, because he'll need someone to hold up his balls while he does his business."

"Cute, Torres, cute," replied Chris, his dark green eyes full of mischief. "Why don't you come with the Chris Keller, he'll need someone to wipe his ass."

"Ha, ha," Denise rolled her eyes. "Do you need something?"

"Nah, Chris Keller just likes to watch Davis wallow in her self-pity," answered Chris, leaning against the table next to Brooke. "I think I've been inspired to write a song; I think I'll entitle it 'The Downfall of a Wench.' Or 'The Wench's Downfall.' Damn, Chris Keller is good. "

"Well, you won't be getting anything because I'm so not going to sit here and lose my job," declared Brooke, standing up. She grabbed her briefcase and her hat. "Let's go, Denise. I can't breathe in here; Keller's ego is taking up all the space." She glared at Chris, and pulled Denise out the room.

"Hey, Davis, Chris Keller calls first dibs on your office when you leave!" Chris called after her. He just smiled to himself. "See ya!"

* * *

"It's so not fair!" complained Brooke as she shoveled in a piece of broccoli into her mouth. "I do nothing wrong, just nod my head and agree with all his ideas, even if they are the most stupid ones that anyone could even come up with, and I get blamed for all of it! I thought I changed my karma when I left Tree Hill!" She stuffed more Thai food in her mouth. 

It was lunchtime, and Brooke and Denise had met up with Brooke's friend, Haley James. Haley had moved to California with Brooke from Tree Hill five years ago. She was an aspiring singer, but she was still stuck in her "working-at-a-restaurant" stage. However, it was a step up from most of the waitressing jobs; she was a hostess at Ariel's Grotto in Disney's California Adventure. Brooke and Haley lived together in a two-room apartment in La Habra.

Haley stiffened, like she always did when her old hometown was mentioned. She sighed, and used chopsticks to insert a piece of orange chicken in her mouth. "You'd think that," she muttered, chewing on her food.

Denise shook her head, amused. "I swear, you two are the moodiest single women I've ever hung out with. Wah wah wah. Cry me a river, won't ya?" She took a swig of her soda.

"Easy for you to say," grumbled Brooke, wiping her mouth with her napkin. She sighed as she saw that she had smudged her lipstick off. "You're not the one in danger of losing your job and having to worry about paying rent. Why is God punishing us?"

Denise laughed. "It's California, sweetheart," she explained, as if that was the ultimate answer. She stole a piece of Haley's orange chicken from her plate, receiving a protest from the owner. "Life's not all about sunshine and warm weather, you know." She blinked. "That made no sense at all."

"Well, it's way better than what we're used to," Haley said under her breath, tucking a piece of honey-colored hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to erase all memories of five years ago away from her mind. "I don't care if I have to work at Disney all my life, it's worth it."

Denise and Brooke exchanged a look. Haley had always been a sensitive girl; she felt things rather deeply. It had been exactly five months and one week since "The Incident" that the girls dared not to talk about. Brooke didn't even know the whole story; she just knew that Haley had been hurt badly and she hadn't recovered since.

Denise laughed nervously, tugging on one of her plaited braids. "Uh...it's safe to say that our lives are as dramatic as a reality show. Dude, we should totally write to MTV and petition to have our own show." She made huge hand gestures to suggest a marquee. "_The Working Girls of the OC_...or _The Undiscovered and Fabulous_...or _The Trials of the Real Real Orange County_!" Denise clapped her hands happily.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Thank God you're not in charge of choosing titles. I can see the ratings now...and they're not too good. Reality shows are so six years ago."

"I was a reality show freak back in high school," giggled Denise, reminiscing. "_Laguna Beach, American Idol, The Real World, Survivor_...ooh, and the date shows! I might sound like a total dork, but I was obsessed with shows like _Blind Date, Elimidate_, and..._The Bachelor_!" She sighed dreamily. "I tried applying for those shows so many times, but they never picked me. That was my ultimate dream."

Haley just continued to play with her chopsticks, but Brooke's ears perked up. "_The Bachelor_! I loved that show...talk about sexual tension and the catfights. Could you ask for more?"

"Too bad they cancelled the show," mused Denise. "I taped every single episode. You know, I should go through the archives at the office and sneak them home!"

"Yeah..." Brooke drifted off. Haley frowned.

"What's up, Tigger?" she asked, putting down her chopsticks. "I know that look; that's your 'piss-off-I-have-the-world's-greatest-idea' look."

"You know me so well," murmured Brooke, thrusting a hand through her dark hair. She checked her watch, and picked up the bill. "I-I gotta go. Don't wait up for me." After paying the bill, she grabbed her purse and left the restaurant. Denise and Haley blinked.

"You'd think that after knowing you two for…fix, six years? I'd be able to know what the hell you guys are thinking," Denise said a few moments later.

"You got that right," frowned Haley. She glanced at her own Disney watch and sighed. "Ugh, I better get going now. The traffic on the 91 is horrible around this time, and I can't be late this week. My boss's going to chew my ass out."

Denise nodded, and began to gather her things. "Have fun at work, Ariel." Haley rolled her eyes; Denise and Brooke took great pleasure from teasing Haley about her job. "Man, what a life you have. You wear a seashell bra and fins, and guys hit on you all day. You got it good, Haley James."

"Okay, first of all, I'm not even a Disney character, let alone Ariel. I'm a hostess; I show you to your seats," babbled Haley, getting to the peak of your spiel. "And…" Denise held a hand up.

"Okay, okay, I got it! You're not a Disney slut. Whatever," grinned Denise. "Well, I gotta go, chica. Gotta make sure Brooke doesn't do anything stupid. See ya later!"

Haley shook her head ruefully as she opened her wallet to leave a tip. Her eyes fell on a tattered, folded picture that had been tucked into one of the pockets. Her breath hitched, and her heart beat faster, like it always did whenever she saw him. Haley had never gotten the courage to throw that picture away, no matter how much it pained her. So it just lay hidden in her wallet, unforgotten. "Are you okay, Miss?" a concerned busboy asked as he stood behind the young woman, waiting to clear the table.

"Yeah. Just fine," Haley replied softly. She tossed a few dollar bills onto the table, and stepped out of the restaurant.

* * *

Hours later, Denise found Brooke in her office, a few tapes on her desk and wads of yellow paper scattered throughout the room. The TV was left on, but nothing was showing. "Uh…Brooke? What are you doing?" 

Brooke was skimming through folders and piles of paper, and then scribbling something down on a pad of paper. "Can't. Talk. Now," was her distant reply.

Denise sifted her way through the paper and sunk down into one of Brooke's plushy chairs. She yelped when a sharp poke made contact with her bottom. "Dammit, Brooke, these aren't pin cushions!" she growled as she contracted a needle that had been sticking out of the chair. It certainly was not the first time that this had happened; Brooke was very absentminded, and tended to lose track of her hobby materials.

"Sorry," mumbled Brooke. She groaned, crumpled up the piece of paper that she had been scribbling on, and tossed it at the trashcan. It bounced off the rim. Denise snorted.

"Brooke Davis, basketball star of the Los Angeles Lakers," announced Denise in a sarcastic voice.

"Ha. Ha."

"Okay, Brooke, now you got me intrigued. What the hell are you doing?" Denise reached over to look at one of the videotapes that was resting precariously on Brooke's desk. "Andrew Firestone? Isn't he that one heir of…tires?"

"And?" prodded Brooke, waving one hand around, waiting for Denise to continue.

"And…the first Bachelor!" gasped Denise. Suddenly, the world made sense. "Oh, my God, Brooke, are you…?"

"It's in the process," replied Brooke, pushing the desk away from her so that her chair rolled back. She stretched her arms and took a swig of her Jamba Juice. "I've been here for three hours straight. Ugh."

"This is genius!" squealed Denise, standing up. "The revival of one of the best shows ever! Laughlin will have to let you air it!"

"Yeah, now I just need to come up with a kick ass presentation, and I'm home free!" Brooke rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her sleek hair had become mussed and her hands were smeared with ink.

"You have to let me help you!" continued Denise, grabbing her own pad of paper and pen. "I'm thinking…rose petals. All around. Pictures of the hottest celebrity bachelors. Romantic music. Candles. Curtains. This is just brilliant!" She jotted all these things down.

"What are you ladies doing?" a rude voice interrupted them. Brooke groaned. "You two aren't starting an idea before running it by the Chris Keller first, are you? That just won't do. Chris Keller is very disappointed."

"Oh, go fuck yourself, Keller," growled Brooke, standing up to shut him out of her office. Chris stepped inside instead.

"Oh, come on, share with Chris Keller! Maybe Chris Keller can give you some good ideas," he offered slyly. The girls snorted.

"As if." Denise shook her head. "You're just trying to steal Brooke's idea so you can get all the spotlight again. Well, guess what. Brooke is so going to beat your ass!" She pushed Chris out with all her might, leaving him to stumble into the hall way, and bumping into Laughlin, who spilled his coffee all over his shirt.

"Keller!" he bellowed, dropping the cardboard tray. Brooke and Denise tried to stifle their giggles as Chris lamely attempted to help his boss, and got a lecture instead.

"That annoying, son of a bitch will try to steal your ideas, Brooke," the young Latina said worriedly. She picked up the pieces of paper and threw them into the paper shredder. "I don't think this is the best idea to work here."

"Yeah, let's head back to my place," suggested Brooke, picking up all her stuff. She stuffed the videos into her bag. "Maybe Haley can make us hot chocolate when she gets home!"

Denise snorted, making sure that she had gotten all the paper wads. "I love how you drink hot cocoa, even though it's only early May." Brooke shrugged, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She caught her reflection, and smoothed her hair out, smiling.

"I'm a unique person," she said offhandedly. Linking arms with the taller girl, they skipped their way out of the office, smiling brilliantly at Keller, who was on his way to the dry cleaners.

* * *

Haley tiredly rolled in later that night. It had been a very long day for her, and the only thing she wanted to was get into her bed, pull up the sheets, and just sleep. She knew that she didn't have to deal with Brooke for at least a few more hours; Brooke often came home late, at least past one or two in the morning. After she had let herself in with the key, Haley shuffled into the kitchen, throwing her bag on the couch. "Ouch!" it squeaked. Haley blinked. 

"Do you carry bricks in here?" complained Denise, sitting up from the couch and rubbing her forehead. "God…"

"Denise? What are you doing here?" yawned Haley, rubbing her eyes with the back of her palms. "Where's Brooke?"

"Over here, Tutor Girl!" called Brooke, somewhere near Denise. "I have the best idea ever!" Brooke was sprawled on the floor, and she had changed from her tweed suit to her favorite pajamas. Her hair had pulled back in a neat ponytail, and a mug of hot chocolate rested next to her. Crumpled pieces of paper, video cassettes, and magazines were scattered through the apartment.

"Can't you tell me tomorrow, Tig?" Haley asked tiredly. "I'm exhausted and I just got another letter concerning my student loans."

"Okay!" chirped Brooke. Haley groaned. A cheerful Brooke and an exhausted Haley was never a good combination. Haley always ended up cleaning up the messes that Brooke created, whether it be physical or emotional.

"Denise, can you pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please watch Brooke for me? I'm exhausted, and in no shape to deal with whatever the crap she's doing," pleaded Haley. Denise rolled her eyes.

"Girl, I'm not even supposed to be here. I just fell asleep on your couch a few hours after listening to Brooke chatter. But since I love you, and you do look like crap, I'll watch her for a few hours," sighed Denise. Haley broke out in a grin.

"Thanks, Denise, you're the best!" Haley ambled to her bedroom, and shut the door quietly.

Denise turned to Brooke. "Okay, Princess, what's the plan? I know I've heard it at least ten million times, but whatever. Entertain me."

Brooke beamed. "I'm going to change my karma and Tutor-Girl's, too. And possibly yours," she added as an afterthought. Denise raised a brow.

"Oh, really? And how exactly do you intend do that?" she questioned, propping herself up on a pillow.

Brooke's eyes gleamed, like a child in a candy shop. "Well, first of all, this show will be a success and I'll be able to keep my job, and then I'll get to buy that cute Chanel dress I saw at South Coast a few months ago." Denise rolled her eyes. "Secondly, I'll get Haley on the show, and maybe she'll meet Prince Charming, and forget about," she lowered her voice, "Nathan. As for you, you're always a happy person, but you'll help me in every possible way, and since I love you, I'll let you pick the bachelor and you can keep whichever one you want for yourself. It's perfect!" She clapped her hands. Denise just gawked at her.

"Okay, it's way too late to be this perky," she groaned, stretching her arms. Her eyes caught hold of the chipped green mug next to the large pile of crumpled paper. "Hey, you have any more hot chocolate?"

Brooke hugged her mug, and glared at Denise. "No! You can't touch my chocolate!"

Denise mumbled something incoherently in Spanish, and pulled the Afghan up to her chin and concentrated on fitting in a few more hours of sleep in.

* * *

"In conclusion, this may revive the age of dating shows, and provide a rush of hot nostalgia for others, if launched carefully," Brooke finished up. "If the viewers show an interest in the show, we'll be able to air other dating shows, giving ABC the highest ratings, beating out Fox at last!" 

It was another day, another conference meeting. But this time, Brooke was on the hot seat, and her life was on the line. Haley had left early that morning, leaving her lucky lip gloss bottle on the kitchen table. So Brooke had worn the lip gloss, no matter how much it clashed with her other make-up or outfit. Brooke chewed on her lower lip, and glanced at Denise, who gave her a warm smile.

Victor was silent for a few minutes, just leafing through the booklet that Brooke had provided. He looked over at his assistant, who was sitting to his right. She gave him a nod. Victor nodded as well, and he looked over at Brooke, whose heart had leapt at the small motion. "Okay, Davis, I'm granting you permission to air the show. I'll provide housing, food, etc., but you have to get the bachelor and the bachelorettes yourself. You get a rating lower than seven, and you're out. Got it?"

Brooke nodded quickly. "Absolutely." She snuck a grin at Denise, who gave her a thumbs up.

Victor stood up, an indication that the meeting was over. Everyone else, save Brooke, Denise, and a depressed Chris Keller, got up and stretched. "I want the names of the people by next Tuesday."

"Yes, sir," Brooke replied eagerly, gathering all her items. She sent her a boss a radiant smile. "I can guarantee you 100 satisfaction!"

"You better," Victor answered dryly. After barking at his assistant, he left, shooting Brooke an encouraging smile. After he had left the conference room, Brooke and Denise began giggling and jumped up and down.

"I have to call Haley!" squealed Brooke, diving for her cell phone. "She's going to be so excited!"

Denise giggled, picking up a handful of rose petals that had been scattered over the table. She threw them up in the air, and twirled around. "You are a genius, Bee."

"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" Chris finally spoke up. He hadn't stopped staring at the chair their boss had just vacated. "That's the only reason I can come up with."

"Ah, Brooke, the monkey can speak in first person," commented Denise, ruffling his hair.

Brooke giggled. "Yes, I think monkeys speak in first person when they're very disappointed. Right, Keller?"

"Women," muttered Chris, collecting his things. His vibrant grey eyes had dimmed, and he looked rather disappointed. He shot the girls one last malicious look before leaving them alone.

"Hales? Guess what? I got it!" squealed Brooke. "I know, we have to celebrate when you get home! I'm so happpppppppy! Okay, I'll see you later then. Okay, bye!"

"Now comes the fun part: choosing the poor victims," grinned Denise. She had picked up a photograph of Tom Cruise, and smirked.

"And as promised, you get to pick the celebrity bachelor while I pick the oh-so shallow ladies," laughed Brooke, cleaning up the room. She had draped the conference room in dark, velvet drapes, and lit candles all over the room. Red and white rose petals lay scattered on the floor.

"Yeah, leave it to me, I know someone who knows someone who can get the word out," Denise said nonchalantly, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. "You still going to get Haley on the show?"

"Nah, I was just kidding. She would never go for it, and besides, I'd hate to see her heart get broken again," Brooke replied, her mood changing rapidly. Now she was serious and solemn.

Denise nodded gravely. "Poor Hales," she said after awhile. "I'm going to go over to Tree Hole and pummel the guy's ass."

"Tree Hill," corrected Brooke. "And I really don't know what was going on with them. We were all so good friends, and then…well, life happened." She sighed. "I was leaving for California by myself, but then Haley burst in while I was packing. I'll never forget her face…it was the saddest thing I had ever seen," she whispered. "I'd never seen anyone look so…broken. She begged me to take her with me, and I did. We could relate." She laughed bitterly.

Denise was quiet. "You know, you never told me why you moved out here," she commented quietly. "Haley, I could understand. But you…you were so quiet when I first met you. I don't know, I could just tell that you had been such a spirited person before, but it seemed like someone had crushed your spirit or something." She looked Brooke in the eye, who avoided her gaze. "Why did you run away, Brooke?"

Brooke's head snapped up. "I never said I ran away," she answered quickly. "Where did you get that idea?"

Denise shook her head. Brooke's demeanor had answered her question. "And you hardly date, too. You're such a pretty girl. It's like, you're always pushing away every guy you meet."

"That's not true," defended Brooke. "I went out with Jason for two months, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but…you barely really got to know him. You were playing it safe with him," pointed out Denise, playing with her hair.

Brooke sighed. "I just don't want to get hurt again," she said softly, so softly that Denise barely caught the words. But she did, and all she could do was offer a hug and a sad smile.


	2. Shooting Down the Suggestion

**Title:** The Bachelor

**Author:** Sweet Sarcasm

**Summary:** Nathan and Haley had a spark which was put out by one little lie. Fast-forward a few years ahead, and we find Haley, working at a restaurant and Nathan, a totally successful basketball player. Their old friend Brooke Davis is the hottest TV executive on ABC, and she decides to revive her all-time favorite show, The Bachelor. When Nathan applies for the show, Brooke's gears go into overdrive, and she persuades Haley to join the show, convinced that her favorite couple will finally be together once again. The catch is, Haley is under disguise, and Nathan may never be with his true love if he makes the wrong move. (Alternate History)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own One Tree Hill or The Bachelor. I just own Denise and the plot.

* * *

"The Bachelor?" Nathan Scott echoed warily. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?"

Pamela Fleet, Nathan's publicist, smiled hugely. Nathan wondered if he should tell her about the huge piece of broccoli that was stuck in between her teeth, but Pamela's words caught his attention. "Nate, you're the most wanted guy in America. Everyone knows who you are. Now, you're twenty-three years old. Don't you think it's time that you settle down?"

Nathan gawked at her. "Settle down? You've got to be joking. I've just started my career! I'm finished with college! Two years ago, I just received my right to vote and drink. And you're telling me I should settle down?" His voice level began to rise, and Pamela winced, wondering if she had taken the right approach. Nathan was known for his temper, and no one messed with Nathan. Except for Lucas, of course.

Speak of the devil. Lucas' head popped in the room. "Uh, I hear yelling, and I can't concentrate on my book." He held up his tattered copy of _The Great Gatsby_. Nathan snorted.

"Dude, you've read that book a million of times. You could probably read the book with your eyes closed," snapped Nathan. Lucas raised a brow.

"Yeah, but then that wouldn't be considered 'reading.' What's wrong?" He glanced at his brother and publicist.

"I was just telling Nathan," Pamela began, but Nathan interrupted her.

"Pamela," he spat out, "thinks I should settle down and join some stupid show so I can find my future wife!" Angrily, he threw a dart at one of his walls, missing the target by millimeters. Lucas frowned.

"Settle down? But you're only twenty-three," he said, bemused. Pamela sighed.

"Fine. You want the truth? I think Nate should go on the show for two reasons; one, so he could lose his bad boy, one night stand image, and two, the more publicity he gets, the better. There you have it. Happy?" she gritted out. _Just a few more years_, she told herself. _No more putting up with the spoiled brat. _

"What I don't understand is why I have a publicist. I'm not some freaking actor!" Nathan grumbled, attempting another dart and missing. Pamela rolled her eyes.

"You got a publicist after you won the NBA title for the Grizzlies for the first time in history," Pamela replied patiently. She thrust a hand through her bleached, curly hair. "You decided to do some endorsements, and BAM! You got me."

Nathan sighed, and twirled another dart in his fingers. "Exactly what do I have to do?"

Pamela grinned. "Oh, you'll love it, Nate. All you have to do is apply for the show, get chosen, surround yourself with twenty-five beautiful women, date all of them at once, send a few home, pick one, and voila! You're done."

Lucas chuckled. "You know, that doesn't sound too horrible. I mean, twenty-five women? Yeah, that's really horrible." Nathan glared daggers at his slightly older brother.

"That's all?" he asked wearily. Pamela confirmed his answer by nodding. "Fine, why the hell not?"

* * *

Back in Los Angeles

"Denise!" Brooke screeched, ruffling through a few papers. "Where the hell are you?" She looked up to see her friend leaning against her door, giving her a bemused look. "Did you pick the bachelor yet?"

"Someone's in a fabulous mood this morning," Denise remarked dryly, walking over to one of the chairs. She made sure there were no needles sticking out this time. "And I've narrowed the choices down to three. Ready?"

"Hit me," replied Brooke, leaning back on her comfy chair. Denise grinned.

"First, we have Jonathan Taylor Thomas, newly divorced to his second wife, yet 'he still believes in love'", quoted Denise. She slapped down a picture of the handsome actor. Brooke frowned.

"No, he cheated on his first wife a few months after they got married with some teen extra on the movie they were working on together. What a bastard," snorted Brooke. Denise nodded, and took out the next picture.

"Here we have the rising star, Jason Woodpond. He has the number one record of this year. What do you think?"

Brooke squinted at the picture, and ran a hand through her frazzled hair. "Wasn't he that guy who told everyone that Ashley Cleary wasn't a virgin anymore?" Denise sighed.

"But he's so hot!" she whined. Brooke raised a brow.

"You just had to pick all the hot jackasses, didn't you?" she grumbled, frowning at one of the profiles of the bachelorettes. "Let's see Jackass Number 3."

"Ah, I think you'll like this one," squealed Denise, jumping up and down in her chair. "His only minor flaw is he's a bit of a player, but you know what they say, 'Guys are players until they meet the right girl.'" Brooke rolled her eyes; she heard this crap all the time. "He's hot, a body to die for, and he's the reason why the Grizzlies won their first NBA championship. Plus, he put together a DVD, which blew me away." She slipped the DVD into Brooke's flat screen laptop, and pushed 'play'.

Brooke gasped when she saw a familiar young man in the center of the screen. "Hi, I'm Nathan Scott, and I'd like to be America's next bachelor!" The cocky grin. The wink. It really was him. The next few shots narrated how Nathan had won the championship for the Grizzlies, blah blah blah. The next shot was of Deb, Nathan's mother.

"Nathan is such a sweet boy, and he needs a sweet girl in his life," she gushed. "He was the charmer when he was younger, but now that's he's older, it would nice for him to have a stable relationship."

Brooke's heart skipped a few beats when the next image featured the man she thought she had left behind forever. The one who gave her a dull pain around her heart before she went to bed. Him. "Nate and I didn't get along for awhile, but my little brother really deserves to be the next Bachelor. Watch out, America!" He flashed a grin that she had always swooned at during high school. A few years later, it still had the same effect.

"We used to date, but now we're really close friends," commented the next person in the presentation. Brooke shut her eyes. The bitch. "Nathan is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. He has such a great personality and he's a great friend." Brooke snorted at this. Denise glanced at her worriedly.

The DVD continued to explain why Nathan would make a great Bachelor, complete with comments by Brooke's old friends; Jake, Tim, Mouth, and Bevin. A few more basketball shots, and then it finished with Nathan's infamous grin. The screen faded black.

It was hard for Brooke to breathe. Her old life, her past…she thought she had left it all behind. Just seeing the people made the pain worse. Seeing Peyton. Seeing Lucas. It was too much.

"No," Brooke said softly, ejecting the CD and handing it back to Denise. "Let's go with Jason. _Anyone _but Nathan."

"Brooke, Victor already chose Nathan. He loves him. I thought Nathan was a good idea, too," Denise said uncertainly. "I just gave you the other two so you could see how great Nathan was."

"Tom Cruise. Ben Affleck. 50 Cent. Michael Jackson, for God's sakes, anyone but Nathan Scott!" whispered Brooke, turning pale.

"How about Chris Keller?" a voice called from across the hall. The girls rolled their eyes, Brooke momentarily forgetting her dilemma.

"NO!" they hollered back in unison. Brooke allowed a small smile when she heard Chris sigh loudly and mutter why he would make a great Bachelor. Denise lightened up when she saw this.

"Old flame?" she joked. Brooke slowly shook her head. She remained quiet for a few minutes before Denise quietly asked, "Brooke?"

"No," Brooke finally said. "Nathan Scott was the guy who broke Haley's heart." Denise's jaw dropped.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I realize how short this chapter is. But there was no other way to end it, and I've been suffering from writer's block. Plus, I was disappointed by how many reviews I got for the first chapter. 485 hits, 10 story alerts, 4 favorites, and only 6 reviews!

**I have a proposition to make: I get at least ten reviews for this short chapter, and I'll write ten pages for the next chapter, maybe more. I'll try to update this once I get the ten reviews, otherwise the next installment will come in two weeks. Deal?**


	3. Suggesting to Summon Old Sweethearts

**Title:** The Bachelor

**Author:** Sweet Sarcasm

**Summary:** Nathan and Haley had a spark which was put out by one little lie. Fast-forward a few years ahead, and we find Haley, working at a restaurant and Nathan, a totally successful basketball player. Their old friend Brooke Davis is the hottest TV executive on ABC, and she decides to revive her all-time favorite show, The Bachelor. When Nathan applies for the show, Brooke's gears go into overdrive, and she persuades Haley to join the show, convinced that her favorite couple will finally be together once again. The catch is, Haley is under disguise, and Nathan may never be with his true love if he makes the wrong move. (Alternate History)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own One Tree Hill or The Bachelor. I just own Denise and the plot.

* * *

"That's Haley's Nathan?" gasped Denise, staring at the photograph of the young basketball player. Brooke shrugged. 

"Well, he was. Apparently, he's moved on and applied for the show. My show," Brooke said possessively, shooting the photograph Nathan a glare. Denise just gawked.

"You're saying that Haley, my Haley James, dated the sex god himself?" Denise asked in awe, her almond colored eyes widening. Brooke sighed.

"Yes, Denise, Tutor Girl dated Boy Toy," Brooke replied, already bored with the subject. She idly fingered her gold necklace that hung from her neck. Denise frowned in confusion.

"Boy Toy?" she echoed, still staring at the photos.

Brooke waved the words away. "Don't ask."

Denise shuffled through the pile of pictures that came with the DVD. "Do you know his brother, then? Man, that guy is C-A-L-I-E-N-T-E!" she giggled maniacally. Brooke's face dropped. "Brooke?"

The young brunette looked paler than ever. Her brown eyes no longer sparkled with anticipation; instead, they had dimmed with sadness. Her lips were pulled down so that it looked like the girl had never smiled before. In a nutshell, Brooke looked as if her heart had been ripped out of her body and stabbed numerous times. She was clearly heartbroken.

Denise nudged her with a pen. "Brooke?"

The girl shook out of her reverie. "Hmm?"

Denise scooted the chair around the desk (even though it had no wheels) so that she was sitting next to her friend. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly. She had no idea what was going on, but she had an idea it had to do with Nathan's brother.

Brooke sighed. "What's the use?" she murmured. "It's all in the past, right? Something that I shouldn't look back at." She absentmindedly started to doodle on her notepad.

The young Hispanic rubbed Brooke's back as a maternal gesture. "Well, frankly, I have no idea what's going on right now. But I think you need to let out whatever you've been holding in. I think whatever's been bothering you for a long time has to do with him." She gestured to the photo of the brothers. Brooke flinched. "So just tell me what's going on. You know you could always talk to me."

Brooke distractedly tore a hole in the paper she had been doodling on. She looked down. She had been drawing hearts; black hearts, hearts that had been split down the middle, hearts with an arrow shot through the center. She blinked back the familiar tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Brooke gazed up at her friend, who nodded encouragingly. She buried her face in Denise's shoulder, letting the years of pain and sorrow seep through the soft material of her shirt.

Denise comfortingly rubbed Brooke's beautiful locks, whispering over and over again that everything would be all right. Small tears leaked from her own eyes, falling freely on her friend's hair. It hurt her to see her friend, heartbroken and clearly still in love with some man that had done something to her in the past. Brooke had always been a strong one, never letting anything affect her in any way. In fact, Denise never remembered seeing her friend even shed a tear. But here she was, weeping salty tears over some selfish guy. "Shh, shh," Denise murmured into her ear. "It'll be okay."

After what seemed hours, Brooke finally emerged from her friend's shoulder. Denise, not even concerned about the huge wet mark on her shirt, offered a tissue to the puffy eyed Brooke, who accepted. "Are you okay?" she asked softly as Brooke blew her nose on the tissue paper. Brooke nodded shakily.

"Ye-yeah. This is so stupid, I-I don't even lo-love him anymore," Brooke stuttered, knowing this was not the truth. Denise nodded; she didn't buy it, either.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Denise inquired in the same soft tone. Brooke shrugged. "Okay, smile for me, then. Let me see that pretty smile of yours." Blinking back new tears from falling, Brooke attempted to smile, and it came out as a watery grimace. "Hmm, we'll have to work on that. Now, tell me what's going on."

Brooke took a deep breath, knowing her friend wouldn't give up until she gave her an answer. She hadn't told anyone what had happened that night, not even Haley. It was something she had kept in her heart, though it caused her more pain than she had ever imagined. "Lucas is my ex-boyfriend."

Denise nodded. "What happened?"

Flashback

"_No, Lucas, you just don't get it, do you?" screamed seventeen-year-old Brooke Davis. She was having yet another argument with her boyfriend of almost one year over some stupid thing. _

_Lucas Scott threw up his hands in defeat. "No, Brooke, I don't get it. I don't get it at all. In fact, I don't get you either," he retorted coldly. Brooke snorted. _

"_I don't even know why we even still do this. Date, I mean. All we do is fight nowadays!" she threw back._

_Lucas softened. "Aw, Brooke, you don't mean that, do you?" He moved so he could be closer to his volatile girlfriend. _

_Brooke pushed him away. "I do mean it. I don't love you anymore, Lucas. I don't love you anymore." She broke down crying, and fell to her knees, angry at what she was doing. _

_Lucas got down on the floor next to her, holding her close to his chest, and stroking her hair. "It's okay, Brooke, we'll get through this," Lucas whispered to her, kissing her head. "We always do." He tilted her face so that it would be facing his, and he captured the falling tears with his soft lips. Brooke shivered, and pushed herself away from him._

"_No, Lucas, this isn't working out at all," Brooke choked out. "We were doomed at the start, and-and…I just don't think we were meant to be." _

_There. She had said it. The words were strange to her own ears, and it sliced through her own heart like a sharp knife. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she looked up defiantly at Lucas. He just stared at her, his blue eyes filled with an emotion she knew mirrored her own. Pain. _

"_I can't do this anymore," Brooke whispered. "I just can't do this anymore." She fled the room, leaving a heartbroken boyfriend behind. _

_She ran to the only place where she knew she could find comfort; Peyton's house. When she got there, she didn't bother knocking on the door and tried to barge her way in. But the door was locked. Brooke pounded her fists on the wooden door until her knuckles had bruised. Turning away from the house, Brooke ran again, this time to Haley and Nathan's apartment. _

_Haley was sitting in the living room, strumming her guitar hesitantly. She looked up when Brooke stumbled inside the apartment, tears spilling from her beautiful brown eyes. "Brooke?" she whispered. This wasn't the same confident Brooke Davis she knew. This one was broken. She put down her guitar, and rushed to her friend, enveloping her in a huge hug. "What happened?"_

"_Lu-Lucas and I had a fight again," Brooke hiccoughed. "I-I think that this one is re-real. We've bro-broken up for go-good." She burst into tears again. _

"_Ohh," murmured Haley, leading her to the couch. They sat down, and Haley rubbed her back. "You and Lucas always fight, Tig. I'm sure this one is no different. You guys will make up and be happy again."_

"_Yeah, but I told him that I didn't love him anymore. That we weren't meant to be," Brooke managed to get out. Haley kept on rubbing her friend's back. _

"_I'm sure you guys will get through it. You guys are the only couple I know that has so much love," Haley said softly. "I know you still love him, Tig. You always will, and he'll always love you."_

_Brooke looked up. "I do love him," she replied tearfully. "But I don't think he knows that."_

"_I think you should go back to him and tell him," Haley advised her. "You guys just need to sit down and talk it out. You're just stressed, that's all. I mean, we just finished high school, and now we're going to college. It's just going by so fast, you know? All you guys need to do is talk."_

"_You think?" Brooke sniffled, brushing back the tears from her face. Haley nodded. _

"_Yeah," she replied, playing with Brooke's hair. _

_Brooke stayed with Haley for a few more hours, cleaning up and composing herself. Haley half-heartedly tried to make Brooke feel better, performing her newest song for her. However, Brooke wasn't really listening; she was distracted by how she was going to apologize to Lucas. Usually, she was the one holding her breath and Lucas would come over to her house with flowers and he would be the one to apologize and everything would be perfect. But this time, Brooke would be the one who had to make the first move. It was her turn to tell Lucas how she really felt. _

"_Hey, Hales? I'm gonna head out now," Brooke called out. She had taken a shower, brushed her hair, and borrowed some of Haley's clothes. _

"_Okay," replied Haley, coming out of the restroom. "You okay now?"_

_Brooke nodded, pulling her jacket on. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine." She grinned nervously at the short, auburn girl. "I don't know, I just feel all jittery and nervous inside. I mean, it's weird. What's wrong with me?"_

_Haley walked across the room and gave the usually bubbly cheerleader a hug. "Aw, that's just love talking, sweetie. You'll be fine," she reassured her. After giving her one more hug, she watched Brooke walk out the door, her head hung low. _

_Brooke chickened out halfway to Lucas' house. She just walked around in circles around the neighborhoods. From the down street, she saw the light at Peyton's house on and decided to go there for moral support. _

_Pushing the door open softly, Brooke called out, "Peyt? You there?" She heard muffled sounds coming from Peyton's room. Frowning, Brooke softly tip-toed to the room and pushed the door open. "Oh my God!" _

"_Brooke!" two voices yelped in unison. Her boyfriend and her best friend. Together. Half naked. _

"_Oh my God, I have to go!" gasped Brooke, tears falling from her eyes. She blindly stumbled in the hallway, falling to the ground._

"_Ohh!" Lucas groaned. He pulled on his shirt, and saw his girlfriend sprawled on the ground, weeping. He kneeled on the ground next to Brooke, and pulled her closer to him. Brooke just cried in his shirt, the tears outnumbering the ones she had cried earlier in the afternoon. "I'm so sorry, Brooke. I'm so sorry," he repeated over and over again, his voice pleading with her. _

_Peyton stuck her head out of the door, her shirt now back on. "Brooke?" she asked softly. Lucas turned to her, and shook his head. Brooke broke out of her tear-fest and looked up. _

"_No. Tell Lucas whatever you want to tell him. I'm outta here." Brooke ran as fast as she could back to her house. _

"_Brooke!" Lucas groaned. He got up to chase her, but Peyton stopped him. _

"_No," she said softly. "She needs time to herself. Let her go." _

_Lucas just buried his face in his hands, and slid his back down the wall, wondering what he had just done. _

_Brooke spent the next two hours packing up all her suitcases. She ripped up any picture, any letter, any little thing that reminded her of Lucas and Peyton. After she had packed up all of her clothes, she sat down at her desk to write letters. First, to Haley, her only best friend. The moment she had written "Dear Haley", the tears had begun to fall, and it was all that Brooke could do to prevent them from falling on the paper. Almost halfway done with her letter, Haley suddenly burst in her room, tears silently running down from her red, puffy eyes. "Hales?" She jumped up to run over to her friend. "Oh my God, what happened?"_

_Haley shook her head, unable to speak. Brooke sprinted down the stairs to grab a water bottle from the kitchen, and offered it to the upset girl, who accepted it. "What's the matter? Did something happen with you and Nathan?"_

_Haley flinched. "Don't say his name to me ever again!" she cried, unable to control her tears. Brooke held her in her arms, and stroked her hair, just like Haley did earlier that day. There was no doubt that that day officially sucked. _

"_Shh, it'll be alright," soothed Brooke, wiping her tears with a tissue. She gave the water bottle once more to help calm her down. As Haley's sobs and wheezing died down, Brooke sighed, looking around her room. It seemed cruel to leave Haley in this condition, yet…there was no way she could spend another day in Tree Hill. She had to leave by eleven o'clock that night for her own sake, yet it seemed selfish to leave Haley by herself, especially since she seemed to be suffering like Brooke. _

_Haley sniffled, blowing on the tissue that Brooke had given her. "Tigger?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Why are all these bags here?" _

_Brooke sighed. "Haley…I'm leaving for California." Haley's eyes widened, and Brooke elaborated. "There's no way I could stay here. It's hard for me, Hales. I have to go." Brooke squeezed her eyes shut to prevent the same salty tears from falling on her friend's head; she had cried too many times that day, and it disgusted her. _

_Haley squirmed around so that she would be directly facing Brooke. "Take me with you!" she begged, clutching Brooke's smooth hands. "Please, Brooke, I don't want to live here anymore. It's killing me every second. I just want to forget everything." Fresh tears splattered on their joined hands. _

"_Hales…" started Brooke. It was one thing for Brooke to leave Tree Hill; her family was in California, after all. She would've been living in California if it weren't for Lucas and her friends. But Haley…she was the small town type of girl. Sure, she didn't even live with her family anymore, but she had Nathan. Had being past tense. _

"_I swear, I'll pay you back!" pleaded Haley. "I just want to get out of here. You have to let me come with you. Please." Haley's big brown eyes shimmered with tears, and it just broke Brooke's heart. She slowly nodded. _

"_Of course I'll take you," Brooke replied, giving her a hug. "Um, I'd tell you that you should pack your clothes, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to go back…there." Haley nodded wordlessly. "But I have plenty of clothes and money, so don't even worry about it." She checked her watch. "We should go, our flight leaves at eleven o'clock, and people will start coming over to look for us." _

_Haley nodded again. "How are we getting to the airport?" she asked, gazing at all the luggage cluttering the huge room. _

_Brooke sighed. "I'm going to call for a taxi. Or two," she added as an afterthought. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. We can start over." She patted Haley's hand and got up to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Haley sighed, and her eyes fell to the floor where a snapshot of the six of them had been ripped up to pieces. _

_A few hours later, Brooke craned her neck to gaze out the window. She had kindly offered Haley the window seat, and now she endured the passing passengers and stewardesses bumping into her elbow. She glanced at Haley, who was sleeping with one of the airplane blankets over her shivering body. Brooke tugged the blanket so it wouldn't fall, and gently pushed back some hair from her face. Haley's breathing was still shallow, confirming Brooke's belief that she was thinking of Nathan. This made her think of her own Scott brother, making the dull pain in her heart worse. But now she was on her way to the other side of the country with her best friend, both of them ready to start over and leave everything they thought they loved behind. _

End Flashback

When Brooke finished her story, she realized that her cheeks were wet, and she inwardly cursed. She hated crying, and just remembering that day brought back so many memories that she wished she didn't have. And now her life was crashing down because of one stupid man and his stupid video. She sighed.

Denise gave her a hug. "Oh, Brooke…I don't know what to say," she said after a while. "I mean, Lucas is such a jackass. I'm going to beat his sorry ass if I ever see him. But seriously…I didn't think it was this bad. You were always so secretive, and now I know why. I'm sorry."

Brooke laughed bitterly. "You didn't do anything. It's fine, it's all in the past." She had been twiddling a pen around her fingers out of nervous habit, and she absentmindedly drew all over her desk. Brooke stood up. "I'm going to go see Victor and see if I could change his mind. I know you like Nathan, but he's all wrong for the show. I'll be right back."

Denise sighed, watching Brooke, her head help up high, walk out of the office. She thought of Haley, who was always so quiet and sad. The two girls were so miserable, so heartbroken, and still so much in love with those they had left behind. And like Brooke had said before, it just broke her heart to see her friends in so much pain. And even though she had never personally met them, Denise was sure that those same guys there were pining over were still in love with their girls, no matter how they tried to cope with it.

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe we're back home!" exclaimed Lucas, dropping his jacket on one of the chairs. He, Nathan, and Pamela had returned back to Tree Hill so Nathan could pick some things from his mother's house. Dan had moved back to the beach house, and Nathan had moved the things he had left behind in his apartment to his old house. 

Lucas had decided to stay in Tree Hill with his mother for a few months while Nathan and Pamela flew out to Los Angeles. Nathan wasn't about too ecstatic leaving the East Coast for some "sissy show", but secretly, Lucas hoped that his little brother would turn around back to the good guy he had once known.

"Lucas!" a voice cried out from one corner of the house. Lucas whirled around to face Nathan's mother, Deb. Lucas and Nathan had spent Christmas in Tree Hill, so it hadn't been too long since the boys had been gone. "Oh, it's so good to see you again!" She embraced Lucas with a huge hug, which he returned. "When did you boys get in?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Didn't you hear us come in?" asked Lucas, puzzled. Deb shook her head.

"No, I just came back from the café to grab something. I can't believe Nathan actually kept his key without losing it," remarked Deb, smiling. Lucas chuckled.

"I can't believe it, either. He just dug it out of his pocket and opened the door," replied Lucas, his pale blue eyes twinkling. "How've you been?"

"I've been doing well," nodded Deb. "It's been a little lonely without you two, but we're surviving." She exaggerated a huge sigh, making Lucas grin. "Besides, we have Peyton, Jake, and Jenny to fill in your shoes."

Lucas laughed. "Last I saw of them was the video Nathan made. Pamela was too lazy to actually bring Nate's friends and family together." He shook his head ruefully. Deb laughed.

"Where is Pamela?" wondered Deb, looking around. "I thought I saw a pair of women's pumps, and I was pretty sure it didn't belong to any of you boys."

"I'm right here!" spoke up Pamela, emerging from the other side of the house. "I was in the restroom. Lovely towels, by the way."

"Why, thank you," answered Deb, blinking. "Where's Nate?"

Lucas and Pamela shrugged. "I thought he went up to his room. I'll go find him," offered Lucas. Deb smiled in gratitude, and she led Pamela to the kitchen for a slice of cake.

"Nate?" called out Lucas. "Nathan! Where are you?" He slowly climbed up the flight of stairs, taking the time to drink in the pictures that Deb had artistically placed on the walls. When he finally reached the top of the stairs, he noticed that Nathan's door had been opened a crack. Not wanting to disturb him, Lucas crept towards his little brother's room, careful not to make any unnecessary noises. He quietly pushed the door open and peered in. "Nate?"

"Jesus Christ, don't do that to me!" yelled Nathan, jumping a mile. Lucas frowned, and pushed the door open all the way.

"What are you doing?" he asked quizzically.

"Nothing," Nathan replied quickly, pushing a shoebox under his bed that he had been sitting on.

Lucas raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

"Nothing at all," Nathan grinned nervously, kicking the box even farther under his bed. "Wha-what are you doing up here?"

"Looking for you," Lucas said slowly, making his way towards Nathan's bed. "What's in the box?"

Nathan frowned. "What box? What are you talking about?" he spat out. "There's no box. No box at all. Why do you keep bugging me?"

Lucas shook his head sadly. "You are a horrible liar, Nathan Scott." Nathan scowled.

"Am not," he retorted, his eyes narrowing. Lucas chuckled.

"Are too," he contradicted. "And if there's no box, you wouldn't mind me looking at….this!" Lucas dove for the box before Nathan could blink an eye. "Aha! What do we have here?"

"Lucas, don't you dare," Nathan began, looking around for a bat or some heavy object to whack the annoying blonde with. His dark blue eyes glittered with annoyance, shock, and…fear?

"Aw, come on, Nate, we're brothers! We have no secrets," grinned Lucas, plopping down on Nathan's chair at his desk. Nathan lunged for the box, but Lucas swiped it away from him. "What's in here? Playboy magazines, condoms, old Barbies you used to play with?"

"Lucas, don't!" gritted out Nathan. But it was too late. Lucas had lifted the lid.

"Relax, it's only…pictures," trailed off Lucas. He thumbed through the pictures, sucking in his breath every now and then. He looked up at his brother, who was busy gazing out the window. "Nate? You still have these?"

Nathan didn't bother to turn to Lucas. "Leave it, Lucas. Just put it back." His voice was void of any emotion.

Lucas' eyes fell on the wallet pictures at the top of the pile. One of them was of a dark-haired young man with his arms around a girl with auburn hair. Their eyes weren't on the camera, but on each other, oblivious to what was going on. The pictured was folded and worn in many different places, as if it had been held and examined often.

Another picture was hidden behind that one. Lucas hissed; this one was of a different couple, but it still portrayed the strong love the other one had also depicted. A blond young man and a dark brunette were facing each other, their lips barely touching. Their eyes were closed, and their hands were joined together, as if to keep them together forever. _There's no such thing as forever_, mused Lucas, his eyes closed. _You ruined it._

"Lucas, I told you to put it away!" snapped Nathan. He was now a few inches in front of Lucas, his eyes burning with hate and pain. "Are you deaf?" He aggressively snatched the box away from Lucas, one of the pictures fluttering down to the floor. Lucas picked it up. It was their group picture; Jake with Peyton, Nathan with Haley, and him with…her. They all had been so much in love, overcome with unadulterated bliss. But now that was over. Their worlds had shattered, and reality wasn't as kind.

"Nate, you dropped this," Lucas said quietly. He mutely handed over the picture to Nathan, who had stashed the box somewhere in his closet. Nathan seized the picture, his eyes staring hard at one particular couple. His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed, and Lucas suspected that he was holding back tears. "Nate, are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to. I mean, Haley's still out there…" Lucas trailed off as Nathan picked up his slightly older brother by the collar, and shoved him up against a wall.

"Don't. Say. Her. Name. To. Me. Ever. Again," Nathan whispered angrily, bitterness weaving in and out through the words. "Don't you ever mention her again!" He released his hold on Lucas, who let out his breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

However, Lucas wasn't fazed by Nathan's temper tantrums. "Nate, I know you're still in love with her," Lucas said quietly. His brother had slumped against the wall, his face buried in his hands. "And I know she loves you, too."

"Get out, Lucas," came Nathan's muffled, but angry, voice. "Just get out of here." Lucas sighed, but complied with his wishes. On his way out, he quietly dropped the picture on Nathan's lap.

"I still have the same pictures, too," he added before walking out. Lucas quietly shut the door, and Nathan slowly let the tears he had been harboring flow out, splattering the picture.

* * *

Brooke paced back and forth, tugging her hair every now and then. Denise winced. This was the telltale sign that Brooke was aggravated, and an aggravated Brooke was known to bite your head off if you said the wrong thing. Denise gulped, and decided to take her chances. "Uh…Brooke? Are you okay, dear?" 

Brooke whirled on her. "Don't you dare 'dear' me!" she hissed. She plopped herself in one of the chairs that had been artistically placed around the tiny tables in the garden. "You know, if I think I might murder Victor in his sleep one of these days. Make him feel my pain, that bastard!"

Denise sighed, and gracefully sat down next to her irritated friend. "You know, you can never always get what you want in life," she began. "And the entire company was rather…uh, adamant that we choose Nathan. But we're all mature adults here, so I think you should stop sulking like a four-year-old brat and greet our guest professionally. Got it?" She raised her brow at her friend. Brooke got the message.

"Whatever," she sighed, getting up again. "Just as long as he doesn't bring his bastard brother, no insult intended, and that blonde bitch, everything will just be peachy." She resumed to her pacing again, making Denise groan.

"How did Haley take it?" Denise inquired, hazarding a look at Brooke.

Brooke froze mid-step. "I didn't tell her anything," she frowned. "Just saying his name breaks her heart, and if she knew that he was here, it would kill her." A sad sigh escaped her lips. "I feel horrible. I mean, here I am, setting up her beloved, jackass of an ex-boyfriend up while she's still in love in him. It's just not right. I don't think she'll ever forgive me if she ever found out."

Denise got up from her seat, and whacked Brooke on the back of her head. "That's why you have to tell her, idiot! You're betraying Haley right now by not telling her. Haley's a fragile person, Brooke."

"You don't think I know that?" Brooke snapped, still rubbing her head. "Who was the one who comforted her every night for like two months? Who was the one who made her get out of bed every morning? Don't you dare tell me what Haley is like, got it?" Brooke sighed when she saw Denise's face crumple. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off like that. I've just been…stressed, you know?"

Denise nodded. "I know, Brooke," she said quietly. "But you still have to tell Haley. I talked to her last night, she knows something's up. She thinks you're avoiding her." Brooke hung her head.

"Okay, I'll talk to her tonight," sighed Brooke, plopping back in her seat again. "It'll break her heart, though."

"And then it'll heal," Denise said softly. She was quiet for a few minutes. "Brooke?"

"Hmm?"

Denise hesitated. "Do you think…do you think there's any way we can get Haley back with Nathan again? Like, get her on the show?"

Brooke snorted unexpectedly. "Get Haley on the show? Please. She would never go for it. Besides, Nathan would get in his strange tantrums if he sees her again. Clearly, he's over her." She scowled. "Where is the jackass, anyway? He's," she checked her watch, "twenty minutes late!" Brooke rolled her eyes. "Figures, he's always been a late one, like he's so important that everyone was just early or something."

At that moment, a certain jackass chose to make his appearance. "I am so sorry, I'm not used to the traffic here! And the valet was horrible, I think you guys need to talk to your manager of doing something about that." He slid in the chair next to Denise, not noticing the girl with her.

"Ooh, jackass knows how to apologize," sniffed Brooke, facing the other way so the arrogant basketball player wouldn't see her. Denise nudged her.

"That's alright, I guess things are much different here than from where you're from," Denise smiled, sticking her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Denise Torres."

"Nathan Scott," he grinned, sending her that smile that made every girl swoon. Denise almost fell for it, but instantly thought of Haley and sobered up. Nathan frowned at the sudden change. He ignored it, and turned to Brooke. "Who's your friend?" he nodded towards Brooke, waggling his eyebrows.

Brooke's jaw tightened. She twisted around, and instead of shaking Nathan's outstretched hand, she slapped him hard on the face. "Don't you dare try to use your stupid charms on me, Nathan Scott!" she hissed.

"Broo-Brooke?" stuttered Nathan, scooting back. His face had paled, and he stared at Brooke as if she was some type of ghost.

"That's right, asshole," glared Brooke. "And you're late."

Nathan continued to stare at her with wide eyes. She looked exactly the same, just like the last time he had seen her six years ago before she ran off. Just like…Haley.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice, as if not wanting anyone to hear. Brooke snorted.

"I live here, jackass," she replied, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. "I've been living here for six years, so don't act like you own the place."

"Six years?" he echoed. "This is where you ran away to? We all figured that you ran off to New York or Florida, but California…wow."

"We?" repeated Brooke.

"Well, yeah," Nathan shifted uncomfortably, thrusting a hand through his short brown hair. "Me, Jake, Peyton, and…Lucas." Brooke stiffened when she heard his name, and Nathan cringed. Hehad expected that reaction from her. Denise nervously looked back and forth between the old friends.

Brooke stood up. "I can't do this," she murmured to Denise. "I'll see you later." She began to walk away, but Denise grabbed her wrist and dragged her back to her seat.

"Sit, Brooke. Be professional," Denise said under her breath, glancing at Nathan, who was still in shock.

"I can't," Brooke replied frantically. "It's too hard!"

"Oh, but you don't think it's hard for me?" Nathan replied angrily. "We were all so worried about you, Brooke! The whole town tried calling everyone who might know where you were, but you left no trace at all. And do you know how heartbroken Lucas was? Do you?" Brooke's eyes began to glitter with tears, but she refused to wipe them away. "We almost had to make him go to therapy because of what you did! He wouldn't talk to anyone for almost a month, not me, not Karen, not even Keith. We all thought that you might've been lying dead in a ditch, living with some pimp, doing God knows what. Lucas was, no, is miserable, and it's been six fucking years!"

Brooke snorted. "Oh, you were all worried about me, but not _Haley_?" she shot back. Nathan instantly recoiled. "I just think it's great that everyone was worried about me, but not once did you mention dear Haley."

"Shut up," whispered Nathan, glaring at Brooke. But she didn't stop.

"Obviously, you're over it, but where's your beloved Haley, Nathan? Did you bother even looking for her? Did you even think about her? What happened to always and forever, Nathan?" she taunted. "What happened to all your promises to her? You are a liar, and you broke my best friend's heart. So don't you dare lecture me on what I did and pretend you're all innocent. You owe Haley a hell of an explanation!"

Nathan raised his hand, and unexpectedly slapped Brooke on the cheek.

Brooke staggered back, holding her cheek. Denise gasped, and started to attack the tall basketball player, but he pushed her back. "Don't you ever say her name to me again, you got it? I don't want to hear about her again," he said in a low voice. He got up. "Maybe we should do this some other time. I'll just call your people to reschedule." He began to walk away, but not before Brooke got the last word.

"That's right, just walk away and forget about Haley. Just do us a favor and disappear forever! Maybe then you'll finally stop breaking her heart!"

Nathan didn't even bother to reply, and just walked out of the garden.

"Brooke! Are you okay?" cried Denise, grabbing a piece of tissue from her bag. "Oh, my God, I can't believe he slapped you! He's such an asshole, I'm going to talk to Victor about this, I can't let him be on our show." She stopped when she saw Brooke grinning to herself. "Brooke? Why are you smiling like that?"

Brooke just chuckled. "He's still in love with her," she said thoughtfully. "All this time, I thought he was really over her, but he still loves her." She turned to Denise. "We have to get Haley on the show. There's no way I'm going to let this opportunity pass. They belong together."

"But how are we going to get Haley on the show?" asked Denise, confused. "I mean, even though the guy just freaking slapped you, I'm all for 'Operation Bring Back Nathan and Haley Together', but how are we going to do that? First of all, Haley will never go for it, like you said. And what if you happen to be wrong and he might pick another girl?"

"If two people are meant to be together, they always end up together in the end," Brooke responded softly. She was quiet for a moment. "And I knew Nathan would do that. Slap me, I mean. I know how to goad him, and he fell for it. And secondly, it's 'Operation Naley', not that lame one you just made up."

Denise blinked, and decided not to even ask about "Operation Naley." But she still had one question; "How are you going to get Haley to agree to this?"

Brooke fingered the designs on the mosaic table, smiling to herself. "Don't worry, I always think of something."

* * *

When Brooke got home from work later that day, she found Haley on the couch, watching White Chicks with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. "Hey, you're home early." 

Without taking her eyes off the screen, Haley replied, "They closed the park early because some rich person rented it out for the night. I didn't even think that was possible." She shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Brooke dropped her things on the kitchen table and jumped on the couch next to Haley, who didn't even flinch. "Ooh, is that cookie dough?" she squealed, trying to grab the container from Haley.

Haley pulled it away. "Hey, back off!" she said sternly. "My cookie dough." She patted the container, and grinned. "It was weird, I was driving on the freeway and all of a sudden, I had this sudden urge to buy ice cream and watch _White Chicks_. I haven't seen this movie in forever!"

Brooke watched while one of the Wayans brothers (she didn't bother finding out who was who) crashed the car into a ditch because of the dog. "Yeah…same here! I was like, 'Oh, my God, I have this craving to buy some Ben and Jerry's and like, watch _White Chicks_!'" She snorted. "Because that's just so normal for young women like us."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Shut up." They were quiet as they continued to watch the movie. When it came to the part where the Wayans brothers were being transformed into "white chicks", Haley commented, "That is so how weird how that thing works."

"Hmm?"

"The whole, 'let's put on some fake skin and give you a wig, and you can be transformed into a different sex,'" replied Haley, stirring her spoon around. "I mean, you can tell that it's fake, but they don't even look like themselves anymore. It's like plastic surgery without the surgery."

The gears in Brooke's head were going into overdrive, and it was all she could do to not blurt that wonderful plan out. "Hales?"

"Yeah?"

Brooke faced Haley, a familiar glint in her eyes that Haley hadn't seen in years. "How would you like to be a bachelorette?"

* * *

"And how did she take it?" laughed Denise. She and Brooke were sitting inside of a Chinese restaurant, waiting for Nathan to arrive. They were early, and Brooke knew that Nathan would be a guaranteed ten minutes late, so she revealed her plan to her co-conspirator. 

"Well…" Brooke trailed off.

Flashback

_Haley stared at Brooke. "I'm sorry, what?" _

_Brooke started to play with Haley's hair, not really answering her question. "Well, I noticed that you've been rather down lately, and you haven't been out with a guy for a long time." She purposely left out that the last guy she had been with was Nathan. "And I think this would be a great way to maybe meet a great guy, make some friends, maybe some enemies, and show America what a great girl you are!" _

_Haley suddenly started to laugh uncontrollably. Brooke raised an eyebrow. It took a while for Haley to calm down. "I'm sorry, but you're asking me to be a catty, desperate bimbo looking for love in front of millions of people? I love you, Tig, but not that much. Did you even choose a bachelor yet?"_

"_It's still in the process," Brooke said doggedly. "But this time it will be different! Like, I've been struck by this bolt of inspiration. Instead of revealing the girls' real identities, it'll be like a masquerade! Different names, skin tones, wigs or new hair colors, colored eye contacts…maybe some boob jobs and lipo, but otherwise, it'll be like a game!" _

_Haley shook her head. "I don't know, Brooke, it sounds pretty complicated," she said slowly. "I mean, it sounds awesome, but just…strange. Why wouldn't you want to reveal who they really are?"_

"_Oh, their personalities and their actions will still be the same, but instead of making a fool of themselves on live television, they can leave the show without anyone pointing and staring at them when they go out and buy their groceries."_

_Haley snorted. "Oh, that sounds promising." She undid the French braid that Brooke had created for her. _

"_Will you do it? For me?" pleaded Brooke, getting close to her last resort; guilt trip. Haley sighed, and turned back to the television screen. _

"_I'll think about it."_

End Flashback

"Well, I have to admit, you're a pretty fast thinker, Davis," Denise remarked ruefully. "How do you do it?"

Brooke beamed. "It's a God-given talent, I guess." She took a sip of her pink lemonade. "I just hope that Haley goes for it."

Denise shook her head. "Knowing you, she'll probably do it. But once she gets on the show and gets one look at Nathan, she'll just run away and hate you forever," she said knowingly. "Why take the chance?"

Brooke quickly checked her phone to confirm the time before answering Denise. "Oh, she wouldn't do that," she replied confidently. "Haley may seem like a goody-goody, scaredy cat wimp sometimes, but she never gives up. Whatever she starts she always has to finish. Besides, I can always make her sign some contract stating that she can't leave the show, and Hales is such a law abiding citizen, so she'll have to go with it." She grinned smugly.

"But don't you think Nathan will recognize her?" frowned Denise. "I mean, he may just be a guy, but he's not stupid. You just don't forget what the person you love looks like."

Brooke mused on that concept. "Well, Haley's hair is much lighter since she left Tree Hill," she finally said. "It was auburn. And with colored contacts and fake skin, I don't think he'll even recognize her. She may have to change her voice a pitch or two, but otherwise…" She shrugged. "We'll just have to hope Lady Luck's on our side."

Denise opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when she saw Nathan walk into the restaurant. "He's here," she whispered. "And please, please, please act mature and do not goad him or mention Haley. Please?"

Brooke nodded, and took another sip of her pink lemonade. "Hello, Nathan," she greeted the tall basketball player as he slipped into the seat across from her.

"Okay, I know I'm late, but I have a really good excuse this time," Nathan began, accepting the iced water from the waitress.

Denise giggled. "Oh, really? What's today's excuse, then?"

"I had to talk to my mother, and she was babysitting Baylee Lynn, so she had to stop the conversation every now and then to take care of her," Nathan simply explained before gulping down his glass of water.

"Who's Baylee Lynn?" asked Brooke.

"Karen's daughter," replied Nathan, looking over his menu. "Hey, what's good here?"

Brooke nearly choked on her lemonade. "I'm sorry, whose daughter?"

Denise gave her an odd look before turning to Nathan. "The orange chicken is excellent. It's a bit spicy, but it's really good."

"Oh, okay, I'll have that then," decided Nathan. He turned to Brooke. "Karen's daughter. She and Keith got married, and now they have a little girl. She's five years old."

"Oh, I wish I could see her," Brooke said rather wistfully. "It's so cute that those two finally got married. There was so much sexual tension between them!"

Nathan made a face. "Ew, Brooke, that's my uncle and dad's ex-girlfriend you're talking about."

"Wait, what?" Denise blinked. Brooke just waved her question away.

"Long story," Nathan replied wearily. Denise nodded, confused with the events concerning Tree Hill. _And I thought Orange County had a lot of drama_, she thought.

"Baylee Lynn," she said aloud. "That's a pretty name." Nathan shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Karen was pretty set on naming her Baylee. I have no idea why," he replied, glancing at his watch. Brooke and Denise exchanged a look. Brooke knew that Denise was thinking the same thing, and Brooke thought it was really sweet that Karen still thought about her and Haley.

"It's just weird," continued Nathan. "Baylee is my cousin, she's Mom's and Dad's niece, and Lucas' cousin and half-sister."

"Psht," snorted Denise. "I have a friend whose best friend's mom married this rich guy who ended up to be the grandfather of my friend's boyfriend, and then her best friend was dating the adopted brother of my friend's boyfriend, and then her best friend broke up with her boyfriend because she was like a lesbian or something and then so her boyfriend started dating this girl who turned out to be the daughter of my friend's boyfriend's grandfather who was also the step-father of the ex-girlfriend, so basically he was dating his adopted aunt."

Brooke and Nathan just blinked at her. "I can't believe you just said all that in one breath," muttered Nathan, looking around as if everyone in the restaurant was just like her.

"I actually got all of that," Brooke announced cheerfully. Nathan looked at Brooke, confusedly. She shrugged. "Hey, I've been hanging out with her for six years. There are some things you have to get used to."

"Ain't that the truth?" put in Denise. "Now, where's the waiter?"

After they ordered their food, they got down to business. "Okay, Nate, here's what's going on: you are America's most eligible bachelor and you are trying to look for your true love," Brooke said the last part softly. Nathan's eyes had fluttered closed for a second, but he opened them again, void of any emotion.

"Anyway, we will send you and twenty-five beautiful women to Avalon, California where the ladies will be living in one mansion and you'll be living in another," Denise hastily completed.

Nathan cocked an eyebrow. "Why can't I live with the girls?" he whined.

Brooke gritted her teeth. "Because, Nathan, most of America may not know who you really are, but I went to the same high school with you for four years, and my reputation doesn't even hold a light to your reputation back then."

"Hey!" defended Nathan. "I changed. You know that." There was a look in his eyes that conveyed a message to Brooke, and she sighed.

"Fine," she said wearily. "But the company thinks it's better if you don't live with the girls. We want drama, but that would be like starting World War III."

"Brooke's right," Denise jumped in. "I really don't think you want a pack of angry, jealous women after your skin."

Nathan winced. "I guess you're right." He was quiet for a moment. "What if I don't find her? 'The One', I mean. What if this is just a waste of my time?"

Brooke patted his hand softly, and Nathan was surprised by the kind gesture. "Don't worry, you never know. I mean, you might not find her, but you might make a new friend," she said lamely. Denise rolled her eyes.

Nathan bought it. "I guess so," he said uncertainly. There was another span of silence. "Hey, Brooke?"

"Yeah, Nate?"

Nathan hesitated, and Brooke could sense he was troubled. His dark blue eyes were swirling with so much emotion, and for one second, Brooke felt a little guilty. "Wha-what happened to Hale-Haley?" he finally managed to get out. This was the first time he had uttered her name in six years, and it made his heart ache just to hear it.

"I-I don't know," stuttered Brooke, glancing at Denise, who frowned at her.

"Didn't she go to California with you?" Nathan asked quietly. He avoided looking at her, instead playing with his chopsticks.

"Well, well, I-I, yeah we went together, but, but we just kinda separated because sh-she wanted to do one thing and I wanted to do my thing," stammered Brooke. Denise had never seen her friend so agitated before. Brooke giggled nervously. "Yo-you know Haley, always trying to make it to the big time with her singing and go-going to Or-Stanford, we just lost contact with each other."

Nathan looked at her oddly. "Haley went to Stanford?"

Flashback

"_Stanford," Haley said dreamily. "Ever since I visited the campus with my family, I knew that's where I wanted to go. The people were so different from the people here, and I just wanted to be in the mix. It's been my dream to just leave Tree Hill and see the world."_

"_Stanford," Nathan echoed softly. "That's where you really want to go?"_

_Haley nodded enthusiastically, and she snuggled against Nathan's chest, making his heart beat go faster and faster. "Where do you want to go?" she asked after a while. _

"_Duke," murmured Nathan sadly. Haley whipped her head around to face him. _

"_Oh," she said softly. "Duke. That's not too far from here."_

"_Yeah, and it's 3000 miles away from you," sighed Nathan. He brought Haley closer to him, resting his head on the crook of her neck. "I think that's the only college I can really get into, because of basketball."_

_Haley was quiet. "You know, I don't think I'll get into Stanford," she commented abruptly. "My grades aren't that high, and I think everyone is going to a college somewhere in the East Coast. Maybe I should just stay here." _

_Nathan pulled away from her. "Haley, no. You know you have awesome grades, you're like the smartest girl in school. Hell, you could probably get into Harvard if you wanted to." Haley smiled to herself. "Go to Stanford. We'll figure something out, we always do." He lay a soft kiss on her forehead, and they resumed cuddling. _

_

* * *

A few months later… _

"_Hey, baby, what's up?" Nathan jogged over to Haley, who was sitting by herself at a table in the library. _

"_Hmm? Oh, hey, Nathan." She leaned over to give him a kiss. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Looking for you," grinned Nathan, picking up Haley so that he could sit in her chair and she was on his lap. He snuggled into her neck. "I missed you."_

"_Nathan, stop it!" hissed Haley, wildly looking around. "We're in public!" She tried to push him away, but he just wrapped his arms around her. _

"_Then we'll just have to put a show on for them, won't we?" he murmured wickedly into her hair. He could feel Haley grow warm. She shifted around so she could get into a more comfortable position. It was then when he noticed the papers in her hands. "What's that?"_

"_What? Oh, these," Haley stammered. "Um…it's my acceptance letter to Duke."_

_Nathan let go of Haley, and turned her so that he would be facing her beautiful face. "Your acceptance letter to where?"_

"_Duke, silly." Haley rolled her eyes. "I applied, and I got in!" She beamed. _

"_But…but what about Stanford?" frowned Nathan, bemused. "I thought you wanted to go there."_

_Haley's face fell. "Oh. I didn't get accepted," she said in a low voice. Nathan pulled her closer for a hug._

"_Aw, I'm sorry, sweetie," he murmured. Haley sighed, and quickly stuffed another paper into her pocket without Nathan noticing. _

"_It's okay," Haley replied bravely. "I mean, what's good in California? They don't have you." _

"_This is going to be so great, Hales!" Nathan exclaimed excitedly. "We'll be together, you can help me with my homework (Haley poked him), and it'll just be…awesome. I'm so happy, Hales, I could sing and dance on top of this table if you weren't on top of me right now."_

"_Hey!" Haley swatted his arm. "I'm on your lap, not on top of you. And I think I'll stay here so that way none of our reputations get ruined because you pulled a Tom Cruise on me." She laughed. _

"_Ha, ha," Nathan replied dryly. He sighed, and kissed her lightly. "I love you, Hales. Always _

_and forever."_

"_I love you too, Nate," Haley answered back softly. "Always and forever." She sighed, and for some reason, her eyes kept on straying to her pocket. _

_

* * *

Months later… _

"_Nate, you need to move on," Lucas told him. "I know it's hard, but you're leaving for Duke in a few days. Maybe you should pack up all her stuff and move it storage."_

"_Duke," murmured Nathan. "Do you think she's there? She got accepted, and I don't think she would turn it down." For a moment, his eyes had lit up, and Lucas could see the old Nathan shining through. _

"_I don't know, Nate," Lucas sighed. "Maybe, maybe not." His eyes lingered on the spot where their group picture had hung. _

"_I guess you're right, man," Nathan heaved a sigh. "I'll start today."_

"_Do you need any help?" offered Lucas. "I have a lot of free time on my hands."_

_Nathan shook his head. "I got it, man. Uh…did you clear up Brooke's stuff?" He instantly regretted asking the question. Lucas' blue eyes filled with pain and sadness, and though sometimes the guy annoyed him, Nathan hated seeing his brother like this. _

"_No, she did it herself," Lucas laughed bitterly. "The only things she left behind were torn up pictures, letters, and things that had anything to do with me or Peyton." _

"_Don't mention her name to me!" hissed Nathan. His own blue eyes hardened, and his hands curled up into a fist. _

_Lucas sighed again. "I know you're pissed off at Pey…her, but eventually you'll have to forgive her."_

"_I don't even know how you can still talk to her," Nathan said angrily. "She's the reason why you and Brooke aren't together! Well, actually, you're part of the reason, but still."_

"_Hey, don't blame this on me," snapped Lucas. "I made a mistake, okay? I admit it. But you don't think I feel horrible for all of this? You're an idiot if you think I'm fine with everything."_

"_Well, if it weren't for you guys, then Haley and I would still be together!" yelled Nathan. "If she hadn't come to me afterwards, then…"_

"_Let's not do this," Lucas cut in. He sighed. "Listen, I'm going to help Keith at the shop. Are you sure you don't need any help with this?" He gestured to the room. Nathan shook his head. _

"_I got it," he said tightly. Lucas shrugged. _

"_Sorry, bro." He got up and walked out. _

_Nathan sighed. This would be harder than he thought. He started opening the drawers, and a whiff of Haley's perfume engulfed in. It took all of his pride and strength not to break down, even if he was alone. _

_After packing most of the stuff, he decided to take a rest. Rubbing his eyes, he ambled over to the kitchen and pulled out a beer, a habit that he had recently picked up again. He had thrown his cap opener away, so he opened one of the drawers to find another one. Instead, an envelope nestled under some silverware caught his eye. Frowning, Nathan put down his beer and grabbed the envelope. It was addressed to Haley…from Stanford. _

_Curiosity took over Nathan, and he slipped the letter out of the slit envelope. His eyes widened when he skimmed over the first lines. "Dear Haley James, we are happy to inform you that_

_you've been accepted to The Leland Stanford Junior University…"_

_Nathan crumpled up the letter. Haley had lied to him. She said that she had been rejected, and was going to Duke instead. He didn't understand why she would do that. A sudden realization finally occurred to him, and it was then and there where Nathan Scott finally broke down into tears…_

End Flashback

"Nate? Nathan!" Brooke snapped her fingers to get his attention.

Nathan shook out of his reverie. "What?"

Brooke and Denise looked at him oddly. "The food's here," Denise gestured to the hot dishes that had been placed in front of him. "Are you okay?"

Nathan nodded his head quickly. "Oh, yeah. Just jet lag, that's all," he tried to laugh it off, but the girls didn't seem to buy it.

"Okay…well, basically that's it," concluded Brooke. "Just go on dates with these women, eliminate them, and then pick one."

"No twists?" confirmed Nathan, pouring soy sauce on his steamed rice.

Brooke exchanged a quick glance with Denise. "No. No twists at all." She grinned to herself.

_I am good_, she thought to herself, finishing her lemonade.

* * *

**Author's Note: -hangs head- Okay, I know what a horrible person I am. To be honest, I didn't think I would achieve ten reviews so quickly. And I started summer school a few days after updating this story. I honestly didn't think Iwould get so much homework this month, and I've been stressed out like crazy. I finished this last weekend, but my beta just gave it back to me today. **

**But you really don't deserve any of my excuses. There were several parts of this chapter that could've been a separate chapter, but I tried to make this long as possible. Verdana, size 9, 17 pages, baby!**

**Erm, anyway...I've just started another Naley fic that I might be posting soon. The beginning is really cute, I think you guys will like it. So look out for that. **

**I know this is a really long author's note, and you probably think I'm trying to make this chapter longer, but I just have a few more things to say. One, I realized that my timing is completely off concerning basketball. So just completely ignore that. And two, if you have any questions, just review and I'll reply to that or leave your email address. I'll be happy to answer any questions, comments, concerns, etc., you may have. **

**And...ugh, this is getting really long, but don't expect an update anytime soon. Summer school ends next week, but I have a lot of summer homework and friends to catch up on. But I promise, I'll try to make the next chapter at least ten or more pages.**

**And finally...review! I know I'm a horrible liar and promised you a quick update, but it would still be nice to get ten or more reviews for this chapter. Let's aim for 30:)**


	4. Spinning Around Stars

**Title:** The Bachelor

**Author:** Sweet Sarcasm

**Summary:** Nathan and Haley had a spark which was put out by one little lie. Fast-forward a few years ahead, and we find Haley, working at a restaurant and Nathan, a totally successful basketball player. Their old friend Brooke Davis is the hottest TV executive on ABC, and she decides to revive her all-time favorite show, The Bachelor. When Nathan applies for the show, Brooke's gears go into overdrive, and she persuades Haley to join the show, convinced that her favorite couple will finally be together once again. The catch is, Haley is under disguise, and Nathan may never be with his true love if he makes the wrong move. (Alternate History)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own One Tree Hill, The Bachelor, any quotes, songs, allusions, schools, ABC, airports, or cities. Just the plot and the new girls.

* * *

After Nathan left, Denise turned to Brooke and raised a brow. "Haley went to school in Stanford?" she repeated. "Why would you lie to him like that?"

Brooke shrugged, unconcerned. "I forgot the name of that school Hales goes to. Besides, if it weren't for Nathan, Haley would've gone to Stanford."

"Orange Coast College," gritted out Denise. "That's the school that Hales and I went to. And don't act like you're all that just because you got into FIDM…"

"My point is," Brooke cut off, sweeping her hair over her shoulder, "we're really going to need to work overtime just to get Haley on the show."

Denise sighed. "Brooke, c'mon, do you really think that Haley will fall for your plan?"

"Yes," Brooke replied unabashedly, her brown eyes wide with anticipation.

Denise rubbed her temples, unsure why she dealt with this unrelenting vixen. "You know I'm all for getting Haley back with Nathan. But Hales…she will literally freak out when she finds out that Nathan is the bachelor. This might sound totally wrong, but she may ruin the show for us and get you fired. And, she'll probably never talk to you again. Do you really want that to happen?"

Brooke sighed. "No," she said wearily. "But I can't just let Nathan hook up with some slut off the street. I know that Haley and Nathan love each other, and they belong together. And if I lose Haley or my job in the process…so be it. I'm willing to do anything for Hales." She smiled sadly.

Denise was amazed at this side of Brooke. Usually, her friend was this energetic, bossy young girl who always got her way. But now…she had grown up to a young woman. "You know, Brooke, maybe if we tell Nathan that Haley lives with you, he'll not do the show and we can always get someone else. It's less complicated and everyone's happy."

Brooke blinked. She really hadn't thought of that. "No…Haley will just run away again, and this time, I'll have absolutely no idea where. As crazy as it might sound, if we put her on live television, she's more than likely not to do anything outrageous. And even though this might sound selfish, if Haley goes under disguise and creates this huge drama at the end, more ratings for us. Everyone wins!"

Denise shook her head, her dark curls splashing her face. "And how do you propose we disguise Haley?" she finally asked. Brooke grinned.

"Facial prosthetics," she announced, a smile plastering her face. Denise just gawked at her.

* * *

When Brooke got home, she was surprised to see Haley studying. "Hey, Tutor Girl," she said cautiously, dropping her stuff on the couch. "What are you doing?" 

Haley took off her glasses, and rubbed her eyes. "Studying," she replied tiredly. "I had an epiphany at work. I'm never going to become some famous American Idol or rock star." Haley laughed bitterly. "I have no boyfriend, no career, and absolutely no direction in my life. Seven years ago, this would sound so ridiculous! But it's so true. I'm practically white trash now." Haley sighed. "So now I'm trying to get my credentials in teaching."

"Oh, honey," murmured Brooke. She pulled out a chair and sat next to Haley. "You are so not white trash! You're pretty and smart and you have such a beautiful voice. It's all about timing, that's all."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She got up and ambled over to the refrigerator. "You want something to drink?" She tossed a can of Diet Pepsi to Brooke, and took out a Sprite for herself. "How's the show coming?"

Brooke took a deep breath, and popped her can open. She took a swig of the soda before answering. "Well, it's going okay. Have you thought about my offer?"

Haley blinked. "Wait, you were serious about that? I thought you were just tired or something."

"Hales!" whined Brooke, her big brown eyes widening even more.

"Brooke!" Haley whined back. "C'mon, this is me we're talking about. You know I would never go for it." She took a sip of her Sprite. "It's not me."

Brooke grabbed hold of Haley's slender hands, and rubbed them. "Please, Hales! You have to do it! You would make a great bachelorette! Besides, I'm sure the Bachelor would totally go for you." The last words escaped her mouth before she could stop speaking. Brooke bit her lip, and cursed under her breath.

Haley gave Brooke an odd look. "You already chose the Bachelor? That's great! Who is it?"

Brooke racked her brains to choose some name, any name. "Kyle…Thompson. Yup, Kyle Thompson. He's a great guy, great teeth and everything."

"I thought you were choosing a celebrity bachelor," remarked Haley, puzzled. Brooke shrugged.

"I'm not sure actually, the executives won't tell me anything," babbled Brooke, twisting the bracelets on her wrist. "Something about me being too bossy and overpowered, I don't know."

"Aren't you one of the executives?" asked Haley, looking at Brooke confusedly.

"Um, technically…let's not get into details!" Brooke said hurriedly. "Please, Haley, you have to do this for me! And yourself. You deserve to be with someone and be happy."

"Who said I wasn't happy?" Haley asked quietly. Brooke's eyes lowered to the table.

"No one," she said quickly. "It's just, right after Nathan…"

"Brooke, don't," snapped Haley. Haley never snapped at anyone, especially Brooke. "Stop it. I'm over him!"

"No, you're not," whispered Brooke, looking up at Haley. Her sad brown eyes mirrored the pain that Brooke knew glittered in her own eyes whenever she thought of Lucas. "You're still in love with him. I know you are!"

Haley stood up, knocking down her chair. She didn't bother to pick it up. "Brooke, shut up. You don't know how I feel about anything, so don't tell me what I feel. You have no right to."

Brooke got up, too, but she didn't knock over her chair. "I know you too well, Haley James. And if you want to prove me wrong, join the show and I'll never mention him again!"

Haley glared at her, a glint of familiar anger flashing in her eyes. It was something Brooke hadn't seen for a very long time, and even though she hated when it was directed at her, it was a welcoming sign. "Fine. I'll be a bachelorette for your stupid show."

Inwardly, Brooke was about to bust out in song and dance. Instead, she coolly replied, "Fine. I'll call up a friend of mine who specializes in facial prosthetics and you can come down to the office with me to sign the contracts."

Haley just glowered at her, picked up her books, and stomped to her room, slamming the door hard. Brooke grinned and whipped out her cell phone. "Denise? We're in! Call up that friend of yours."

* * *

The next morning, Haley got up from bed, not wanting to go to work. She had yet another dream about Nathan, and even though she would never admit it, she liked those dreams. It was the waking-up part that hurt the most. After she got out of the restroom, she shuffled to the kitchen, still in her pajamas. "Ouch!" she yelped. She had stubbed her toe on some…big, scary machine. Haley blinked. 

"Good morning!" chirped Brooke, scrambling eggs by the stove. "Hungry? I'm making eggs right now, but there's some bacon for you." She seemed unaware of the huge group of people scattered all over their apartment, drinking coffee and pushing buttons on the machines. Denise was sitting at the table, reading a magazine.

"Oh, hey, Haley," she addressed her. "Have a seat." Denise gestured to the chair next to her, where a meal had already been prepared for Haley.

Haley squinted, and rubbed her eyes. "Please tell me this is a dream," she groaned, pouring a glass of orange juice for herself.

Denise put down her Latina magazine, and smiled. "Nope. Today, we're going to transform you into a beautiful hot mama…not that you're not one already," she hastily added after Haley gave her a look.

Brooke slid some of the scrambled eggs onto Haley's plate. "Eat up, it's gonna be a long day," Brooke sang in that annoying cheery voice. Haley just glared at her.

"Hasn't it occurred to you that I have to work today?" Haley asked Brooke. "And I'm going over to the community college to take some night classes. My boss will never let me stay home!"

"Oh, don't worry, we already talked to her," Brooke cheerfully told her. "I told her that you're pregnant and have a bad case of morning sickness and the doctor ordered you to stay at home, in fear of losing the baby."

"You did what?!?!" squawked Haley, spitting out her juice. Denise grimaced, and wiped the drops off her magazine.

"Your boss was really nice about it, she was very emotional, actually," continued Brooke, ignoring Haley. "She told me that she totally understood and hoped everything would go well for you. And if a truckload of flowers gets delivered to the apartment, thank your co-workers, okay?"

"You told my boss I was pregnant?" screeched Haley. "Brooke! I can't believe you! You know I'm still a…never mind." She shot daggers at the workers who were all staring at her.

"It was either that or you got into a coma after last night's horrific car accident," deadpanned Denise, flipping through her magazine. "And just be glad I talked her out of telling your boss that you had an extremely contagious STD." Haley punched Brooke on the arm.

"Ouch! Hey, I did it for you, sweetheart," complained Brooke, rubbing her arm. "Now, I brought the papers for you to sign. Sign it later, okay, sweetie?"

"I hate you," mumbled Haley, taking a huge bite of her eggs. Before she could get another bite of her food, her plate was whisked away. "Hey! I was eating that!"

"No time for that, sweetheart," a man briskly told her. "We're ready for you!" He dragged Haley out of her seat and shoved her into a different chair. "It's time for your transformation."

Those were the five deadliest words Haley had ever heard in her life. _Actually, if he hadn't used 'it's' as a contraction, it would be six, _she mused. But there was no time to think as her hair was violently yanked to one side. "Ow!" yelped Haley. The girl who was brushing her hair just rolled her eyes.

"Haven't you heard of 'conditioning'?" she muttered under her breath. Haley opened her mouth to reply, but something was tickling her toes. She giggled.

Denise and Brooke stood next to Rob, the man in charge of Operation Cinderella, which is what they referred the transformation to. "How's it going?" whispered Brooke. She winced as she heard Haley yelp in pain.

Rob clicked a few icons on his laptop. Brooke and Denise leaned closer to the screen as Haley's picture zoomed in. "Well, we change her hair and eye color, add some foam latex to change her face shape, I think she'll be unrecognizable. She'll have to be very careful with the foam latex every time she steps in the water, though. I think we can make a waterproof mask."

"What color are you dying her hair?" asked Denise, taking a sip of her coffee. Rob frowned.

"No, with hair like hers, I don't want to damage it. Using a wig would be much easier," decided Rob, shifting his thick framed glasses up his nose. "It would be easier to style and we don't have to cut a strand of hair. But as for the color, I think we'll go with…either brown or blonde. What was her original hair color?"

Denise glanced at Brooke. "Auburn, I think," replied Brooke, trying to remember back from all those years.

"I thought so," murmured Rob. "Yes, this will work out nicely. Perfect!" He ran a hand through his short, spiky hair.

Denise turned towards Brooke, her long black hair whipping Rob on the face. "Now, we need to get her an identity."

Brooke nodded. "We'll let Haley choose afterwards. I'd hate that she has absolutely no say in the whole thing." Denise just shook her head, amused.

Hours later, it was finished. Brooke and Denise had been sent out for a while to make the unveiling more dramatic. All three girls had no idea what to expect, and needless to say, they were all nervous. As Brooke and Denise walked up to the apartment, Brooke halted in her steps and grabbed Denise's arm. "Oh, God, Denise, what if he recognizes her? We would be so screwed!"

Denise sighed, and gave Brooke a hug. She knew this just wasn't about the show. "We'll do fine, Brooke. Just relax." Brooke inhaled and exhaled deeply before throwing the door open.

Sitting primly on a leather stool was a pretty girl, reading a textbook. She looked up. "Finally," the girl complained, tossing the book on the couch. "They wouldn't let me look in the mirror till you guys returned!"

Brooke and Denise just gawked. "Tutor Girl?" Brooke said cautiously, walking up to the unfamiliar girl. "Is it really you?" She prodded at the girl's nose, and had her hand slapped away. "Ouch! It really is you!"

"Oh, come on, Brooke, I can't look that different," snorted Haley, hopping off the chair. "Now let me see a mirror!" A full-length mirror was rolled in front of her, and her jaw dropped. "Oh my God."

"You don't look like Haley anymore," commented Denise, awed. "You look like a…"

"Blanca," breathed Brooke. Everyone stared at her. She shrugged. "What? Blanca is a beautiful name."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Haley muttered, running a hand through her wig. Rob had decided to go with the honey-colored one. "I must be dreaming." She blinked, and the girl in the mirror blinked back at her. Her natural brown eyes had been replaced with subtle pale blue orbs. Her lips were fuller, and her nose was straighter, with a small bump on it. Her eyelashes were curled back, and her eyebrows were thicker.

Denise smiled from behind her. "Rob, you're a genius." Rob just waved his hand, as if he got compliments like that all the time.

"I already told her how to take care of everything," he told her. "She has my number is she has any questions, so I'll just be going now."

Patting Haley on the shoulder, he shooed his people out of the apartment. Already, it seemed much quieter and less chaotic. "I can't do this," Haley whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the mirror. "This is…this is insane."

Brooke wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders, squeezing lightly. "You can do this, Hales. I know you can."

Denise did the same. "You may have gone through a total makeover, but your personality is still the same. Just be that girl we know and love. I will personally kick this guy's butt if he doesn't pick you over the other skanks on the show."

Haley laughed. "Oh, be nice, Denise." She lightly swatted Denise's shoulder. "Oh, and I signed all the papers, Brooke. You guys are pretty adamant when it comes to the whole appearance thing."

Brooke giggled nervously. "Yeah, well…"

Denise cut in before any more awkward questions could be asked. "So, Haley James, with your new look, we need a new alias for you. What's it gonna be?"

Haley bit her lip, twirling her new hair between her fingers. She sighed and slumped onto a nearby couch, the other girls following shortly. "I don't know. This is so weird, starting all over again."

"You could be anyone you want to be," Brooke pointed out, ruffling Haley's wig. "New name, new job…anything."

"Why can't I be Haley James, part time student, part time DCA employee?" complained Haley, tracing the pattern of one of the pillows. "It's less complicated."

"Nope, not interesting enough," Brooke interjected quickly. She was met with a glare. "I mean…you have a chance to be anyone you want to be for a few weeks or so. Don't you want to try something new?"

"What Brooke is trying to say is that it just wouldn't fit with the whole masquerade idea she's using," Denise said dryly. "She's just lacking the words to describe it."

"What she said," Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "You could be Tila Tequila, porn star!"

Haley pinched Brooke, while Denise just rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. "That's already been taken, Brooke," Denise pointed out dryly. "Try again."

"Well, she can't be Wednesday or Morticia," huffed Brooke. "She's not pale enough."

"I don't want to be named after characters in the Addams Family, thank you very much," gritted out Haley.

"Okay, then. How about Aurora?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Ariel!"

"Nope."

"Jasmine?"

"Pass."

"Snow White."

"When you figure out names other than the ones belonging to Disney princesses, get back to me."

It was like that for the rest of the afternoon. Brooke would offer names (like Spectra or California) and Haley and Denise would shoot down her ideas. They argued for hours, never agreeing on anything.

It was past nine when they decided that Haley would be a receptionist (preferably at Brooke's office, but that was a bridge they would cross later), but the name was still undecided. "Well, the last name should be basic. You guys seem to have the most commonly used surnames in America," remarked Denise, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. They had finished dinner hours ago, and were relaxing in the kitchen. "I mean, c'mon. James and Davis? I bet everyone in your town had last names like Smith or Scott." She guffawed while Haley and Brooke exchanged a look.

"Haha, yeah, right," Haley said, giggling nervously. "Smith or Scott. That's great."

"How about Reagan Johnson?" suggested Brooke, yawning. "Simple and sweet. I've always loved Reagan."

"You mean the president?" Haley ventured.

"Him, too," Brooke replied, waving her hand as if that didn't matter.

"Reagan Johnson," Denise said aloud. "I like it." She looked at Haley.

Sighing, Haley ran another hand through her fake hair. "I guess so."

Brooke grinned, and gave Haley a hug. "Hello, Reagan Johnson!"

* * *

"Bye, Uncle Nate!" little Baylee Lynn said to her cousin, who was leaving for LA in a few hours. Her dark brown curls had been tied up with a pink ribbon, and her blue eyes glittered. The Scotts were famous for their gorgeous blue eyes. 

"Bye, sweetheart," Nathan whispered to the little girl. Oh, how he loved his young cousin! Up until his junior year, he had never been too fond of children. But he and Haley always had talked about having children together, and he found himself enjoying the company of Haley's young babysitting charges. After Baylee was born, his love was cemented. It broke his heart when he realized that he probably would never be as happy as his uncle and his wife…he didn't think that any show could change that.

Lucas gently detached his niece/sister from his half-brother so he could give him a proper hug. Well, at least as proper as it could get for two men. Nathan felt slightly guilty each time he saw his blonde brother. He felt obligated to tell him that he had found Brooke, his forgotten love, but something held him back. Strange as it might sound, Nathan felt a tiny bit jealous that he knew where Brooke was, and if he told Lucas, then they would reunite and everyone would be happy. Everyone except Nathan. He still hadn't found Haley, and as sad as it sounded, their brotherly bond had grown stronger when the girls left. They had both moped and backed each other up. So if Lucas and Brooke got back together…then Nathan would be all alone.

"Something bothering you?" Lucas frowned. Nathan blinked. He was disconcerted to see all of his friends and family staring at him because apparently, he had been spacing out the entire time.

"No," Nathan said quickly, shaking his head. "Sorry, just thinking." He lowered his eyes, because Lucas had obtained this uncanny gift of reading people's minds. He sure as hell didn't get that from Dan.

"He's just dreaming about all the beautiful girls he's about to meet," teased Jake. Nathan mockingly punched him on the arm.

A few months after the disastrous event, the only person who was put out of their misery was Peyton. She had been at odds with both Nathan and Lucas, even though they both forgave her in the end. It was a surprise to everyone when Jake showed up with Jenny. He had won custody of Jenny, and wanted to go back to Tree Hill. He and Peyton fell in love again, and at the young of twenty-one, they were married. They had wanted to get married even earlier, but decided to wait. Along with the Scott brothers, they became an inseparable group.

Peyton gave Nathan a quick hug, Jenny clinging on to her back. "Have fun, Nate," she said sincerely, though the guilt had never disappeared from her eyes. She wasn't a fan of those stupid reality-dating shows, and thanks to Brooke's obsession, she knew there would be a lot of drama. Peyton didn't want that for Nathan, but she knew that if she hadn't screwed things up with him and Haley, he would have never been in this situation.

Nathan smiled at her. "Thanks, Peyt," he replied, biting back a smile as she glared at him. He knew that she hated that name.

After hugging his mother, Karen, and Keith, he picked up his bags and walked away from his home. Even though he knew he wasn't going to find love on the show, Nathan had a feeling something big was going to happen.

* * *

"So, how's our girl?" Denise asked as the two girls pulled up to a parking place at the Long Beach Airport. "Is she really going through with this?" 

Brooke slid on her sunglasses and checked her hair before getting out of the car. "Yup. She's at home, practicing putting on contacts. I swear, she's lost at least three pairs already."

Denise laughed, linking arms with Brooke as they started walking towards the entrance. "Aw, even if Haley's an entirely new person, she's still our klutzy Hales."

Brooke sighed nostalgically. "Some things never change." She became unusually quiet.

"What's up, B. Davis?" Denise asked concernedly. "You seem distracted."

Brooke shook her head, her wavy hair flying all over the place. "What? Oh, it's nothing." Denise gave her a knowing look. Brooke sighed. "Fine. I'm just worried about tonight."

Denise nodded, her dark braid bobbing up and down. "That's understandable. But isn't it ironic that we're the ones freaking out and she's cool with everything?"

Brooke smiled a little bit. "Not for long." She spotted Nathan awkwardly standing over by the luggage pick-up as a group of young girls attacked him for autographs. "And this is where everything changes."

Denise looked at her confusedly, but realization settled in when she followed her gaze to Nathan. "Here goes nothing." She cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "Nathan!"

Nathan's dark head jerked up, and he smiled in relief when he saw Brooke and Denise. Dragging his bags behind him, he jogged towards them. "Hey," he said breathlessly, running a hand through his short hair. Denise almost swooned, and once again cursed Haley for having all the luck.

"You're welcome," smirked Brooke, grabbing one of his bags. Nathan gave her a funny look.

"For what?"

Brooke snorted as she handed Denise one of the other bags and started towards the exit. "For saving you from your lethal groupies," she replied, as if it was very obvious. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Please. I could handle them," he said confidently, his chest puffing out in pride. Brooke laughed.

"Nate, darling, you freaked out when a bunch of third graders bombarded you back during senior year," she reminded him. "Are hormone-pumped teenagers any better?" Denise burst out laughing as Nathan scowled at the brunette.

"What, did you run away or something?" giggled Denise, nodding at a cute tourist who smiled at her.

"Actually," Nathan began, but Brooke cut him off.

"Oh my God, it was hilarious! He started to turn this weird white color and he became flustered and everything. It was so cute." Brooke winked at a glowering Nathan. "It got so bad that we thought he was going to pass out so we had to get all the kids away from him. Remember?"

"That was like, four years ago," muttered Nathan, squinting as the sunlight temporarily blinded him. "I was just exhausted." The girls laughed.

When they reached Brooke's car, Nathan gave a low whistle. "Damn, Davis. Looks like you've been doing pretty well all these years," he said appreciatively.

Brooke patted her car. "It's one of the perks for working for ABC," she said loftily. They threw Nathan's bags in the trunk and in the back of the car. "Thank God you're a guy, Nate," Brooke told him, getting into the car. Denise sat up in the front with her while Nathan was squeezed in the back. "If it were me, I'd have like, tripled the number of bags you have." Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Surprise, surprise," he said sarcastically. "All you girls are the same."

"Not all girls," corrected Denise, leaning forward to change the radio station. "Hale…Hilary Duff has been known to take only like, eight bags per trip." She cringed as Brooke glared at her.

"That's good to know," Nathan said facetiously. "Looks like we have something in common."

Brooke hesitated, but decided to go for it. "Hey…Nate?"

"Yeah?"

Brooke took a deep breath, and went for the plunge. "Have you…have you talked to Lu-Lucas about me?" The moment his name left her lips, she felt strangely light, but still lonely.

Nathan was quiet. "No, I haven't."

"Oh, okay."

The rest of the trip was silent, with the exception of the radio in the background. Denise was afraid of making another mistake, and Brooke had started another daydream again. Nathan was quiet, nervous and excited about what was going to happen later that day.

Brooke finally pulled up to a huge mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Nathan gawked as they parked right in front of the door of the circular driveway. "Brooke, please tell me you don't live here. Otherwise, I might have to kill you," Nathan said in amazement as he got out of the car.

Brooke snorted. "Please. I don't make that much money. This is where you'll be staying for the next six weeks." Nathan almost fainted.

The front door swung open to reveal a scrawny man with weird hair. Brooke and Denise's jaws dropped. "Keller? What the hell are you doing here?" demanded Denise after she recovered from the initial shock.

Chris Keller smirked. "Chris Keller is the host of the show. Shouldn't he be the first one to greet our Bachelor?" Nathan looked worriedly at Brooke, wondering why he was talking in third person.

Brooke glared at him. "Okay, first of all, you didn't pick up Nathan from the airport, making you like, the twelfth person to greet him seeing as the groupies beat you to it. And second, who the hell made you host? I thought Oliver United was hosting."

Chris skipped (or that's what it seemed it like he did according to Brooke) to Nathan and extended his hand, which Nathan took awkwardly. "Hi. I'm Chris Keller. Sorry that Shrek and Donkey had to take you over here." He jerked his thumb towards Brooke and Denise, who were glaring daggers at him. He added in a loud stage whisper, "Brooke Davis, the feisty brunette over there, is Shrek, by the way." Nathan chortled.

"Gee, Davis, I always pegged you for the Princess Fiona type," Nathan told his old friend, grinning at her. "Or at least the clingy dragon."

"And I always thought you resembled one of those little dolls that got its head blown off during that cute little song," Brooke shot back.

"What?" Everyone blinked. Brooke just glared at all of them.

Chris looked at both of them in surprise. "Wait, do you two know each other?"

"No, Keller, we just happened to find him at the airport and decided to take him here," deadpanned Brooke.

"We went to school together," Nathan put in. Chris' eyebrows crinkled.

"You went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising?" he asked, bemused.

"No, jackass, we went to the same elementary, middle, and high school together," sighed Brooke. "We practically grew up together."

"Shut up! The Keller never knew you actually have a history. He thought you just crawled out from under a rock one day or Satan's spawn decided to make an appearance. You were actually a child, Davis?" Brooke punched him. "Ouch! Davis, watch it! Keller does not want to appear on primetime with bruises!"

"Oh, you'll appear on TV with more than bruises," promised Brooke, raising her foot over Chris'. Denise gently pulled her away.

"We better get going," she told Nathan apologetically. "Thank God you already know Brooke. Otherwise, you'd probably be on a plane back to Tree Hill." She turned to Chris. "Don't screw things up."

"Love you, too, Torres," Chris deadpanned. With a final wave, Denise dragged Brooke back to the car.

"Good luck, Nathan!" called Denise as they sped out of the driveway. Chris turned to Nathan, a sly smile creeping up.

"So, do you like music?"

* * *

"I don't think I can do this," Haley whimpered. She bit her lip nervously. Brooke swatted her hand. 

"Don't do that! That's very expensive lipstick," she scolded. "Now smile." Haley obliged, and Brooke swiped a pale brush on her cheekbones. She stepped back to examine her work. "Voila!"

Denise looked up from the Sudoku puzzle that she was trying to do to look up at Haley. "Haley James, or should I say, Reagan Johnson, you are one sexy mama," she proclaimed, standing up to check her out. Haley blushed. But it wasn't like anyone could really see her do it.

"Remind me again, was I drunk when I agreed to do this?" Haley asked nervously as she absentmindedly fluffed her faux hair.

"No, but you were half awake when you signed the papers," Brooke told her, fixing the strap of Haley's dress. She had managed to swipe ("Temporarily borrow," she called it) a beautiful Vera Wang gown. It was an icy blue color, which complimented her light eyes. Her long tendrils had been curled and some of it was pulled back with a plain clip. The straps crisscrossed along her back, and the neckline plunged deep. It was totally un-Haley, but on "Reagan", it worked out fine.

"I don't think I can do this," repeated Haley, her hand coming up to touch her cheek.

Brooke hugged her. "You'll be fine, Tutor Girl," she told her affectionately. Haley felt herself relax a tiny bit. But it still wasn't enough.

"Are the other girls pro with their facial prosthetics?" asked Haley, prodding at her nose. Brooke gulped and cast a worried look at Denise.

"Probably," Denise said breezily, shooting Brooke a warning look. "But remember, you can't ask them anything about the subject. Don't ask them for advice or anything. You're supposed to act like it's your own little secret."

"No offense, but I think the whole idea of using a mask to get a guy is stupid," complained Haley, flouncing back on her chair. "It's about what's in the inside that counts, not on what's the surface."

"Exactly! And that's what we're trying to prove to America," Brooke told her smoothly. "Once the competition is over, the girls will take out their masks as you call it, and we'll see if what's in the inside really outshines what's on the outside."

"In your case, you've been blessed with both gifts," Denise added, her dark eyes lit up with anticipation. Haley giggled nervously.

"While we're on the topic of rules, let's make sure we have everything clear," Brooke said authoritatively. Haley sighed softly, but nodded. "First, don't tell anyone your real name or occupation. Think of it as your Indian name; if you tell strangers your real name, then it'll be bad luck and possibly bring death."

"Brooke, I hardly think that Island of the Blue Dolphins happened to every Native American girl…"

"Secondly!" Brooke held up a hand to prevent further lecture. "Secondly, you must not be seen without your facial prosthetics at all times. Therefore, you must take good care of the skin, hair, and eyes."

"But that's never been a problem, so why worry about it now?" Denise smiled warmly at Haley. Brooke ignored her.

"Thirdly, we've already discussed not discussing this with the other bachelorettes. But fourthly – "

"Fourthly doesn't sound right," interrupted Haley. "You can substitute 'in addition' or something similar to that – "

"I'm not trying to write an essay," Brooke said annoyed. "You're Tutor Girl, not me."

"You're twenty-three years old, shouldn't it be time for you to use proper grammar?"

"Girls!" Denise's stern voice broke through the argument. "Let's not get into this now, okay?" She turned to a triumphant Brooke. "Brooke? Continue."

"Fourthly," Brooke sent a pious look to Haley, who just rolled her eyes, "and most importantly, you may not freak out and leave the show for any reason at all. You signed a contract, and we know how much you hate breaking your promises." She smiled sweetly at the honey blonde.

"Fine, fine, I got it." Haley sighed heavily.

"Repeat what I just said to you, then."

"I'll just paraphrase, if you don't mind." She shot Brooke a look. "No revealing identities, no leaving the room without your face (Denise chortled), no asking the other girls about their faces, and no leaving the show for any reason." Haley looked oddly at Brooke and Denise. "Suppose I don't get a rose?"

"I highly doubt that'll happen," smirked Brooke, exchanging a knowing look with Denise. "Now, let's get your bags and go. You have a limo to catch."

* * *

Nathan shivered, and rubbed his numb hands together. "Is-is it always this cold at night?" he asked, his teeth chattering. Chris shrugged, running a hand through his messy hair. 

"I don't know. I guess so," he replied nonchalantly. Nathan learned that the more you got to know Chris, and the more he liked you, then he would stop trying to annoy you. If he stopped annoying you, then he stopped speaking in third person and took up speaking in first person like any normal human being. However, this meant that the time he saved from speaking in third person was spent on playing his music. Nathan had to admit that while Chris was a decent musician, hearing "When the Stars Go Blue" twenty times in one hour and listening to him gripe about how it wasn't perfect yet could get a bit annoying.

A van pulled up to the side, and Nathan tensed, wondering if the girls were already there. He vaguely remembered from past seasons the bachelorettes coming up in limos, but the times had changed. However, instead of a pretty girl in a dress, a small group of men with cameras emerged. "Oh, look, we're starting to roll," Chris said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. Nathan sighed. Earlier that day, he had done his first private video about his thoughts on the show. He cringed as the words came back to him…

_Why am I here? Well, like all of my other predecessors, I'm looking for lo- a companion. I think it's time for me to settle down and meet a nice girl. I want someone that I can lean on, and someone who's strong enough to lean on me. Even though I'm a basketball player who's always jetting across the country to the next game, I want to find a girl who I can cook dinner for and sit down and talk to. I don't want a girl who travels a lot and spends her nights clubbing. I want someone real, someone down-to-earth. I guess you can say I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. _

_I've done some stupid things in the past, but this time, I'm going to use them to help me with my future. I'm not looking for marriage; I'm not even looking for love. This might sound totally gay, but someone once told me that love is like a butterfly. You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder. You can't expect to find love on a show. But maybe, just maybe, I can find something more. _

Nathan knew that he couldn't find love on the show. He had found that a long time ago, but he lost it. He might grow infatuated with some of the girls, but never fall in love. Love was lost. None of the girls would ever come close to the girl he had loved. But it was time to move on, and he had always been an extremist, so the show suited him.

Nathan turned to Chris. "How far is this from my place?"

Chris shrugged again. "A few miles, maybe. For your own safety, the girls aren't allowed to know where you live. This house will be the common ground for you guys. Lucky bastard." Nathan just shook his head, smiling a little bit.

* * *

Haley found herself squeezed in-between a petite Asian girl and a curvy brunette. She, along with two other girls, had declined champagne. The other girls were laughing and talking loudly, the alcohol swishing out of their crystal goblets. 

"What, you can't stomach some sparkly?" a tall blonde, who Haley learned was called Maya, taunted the girls.

Haley shook her head quietly. She had tried to avoid alcohol all her life. There were only two exceptions to the rule, though; one time during her junior year with…He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and the first time she stepped foot on California soil…

Flashback

It's October again…

_Haley downed another glass of vodka. This was her sixth one that day and her third bottle that week. For someone who could never really hold alcohol all too well, she was doing pretty well. _

_Haley never really understood why young girls drank. She could sort of understand the reasoning that it made them loose; God knew how many times Brooke had gotten "loose" due to the alcohol she had consumed. But she also knew that when the euphoric high came down, it became the complete opposite. She had spent many sleepovers with Brooke and Peyton, listening to them cry in their pillows. Each time she reached out to comfort them, they would tell her in a muffled tone that she was fine and of course not, why would she be crying? _

_Haley could also understand that drinking alcohol would make you accepted by your peers. Erika Marsh had gone from perfectionist loner to popular lover in one night. But in the end, she wasn't really accepted. Her drunk version had been accepted; not her. And that was the girl that counted. _

_Those she could sort-of understand. But the one reason that truly perplexed her was the numb feeling that everyone felt when they tasted alcohol. Haley personally though it was bitter and far from numb, so she always thought that was stupid. But when she came to California, and the only drink available to her was alcohol, she began to appreciate its magic. _

_Drinking made her forget about her problems. It made her forget about the most painful things she had ever experienced. It made her forget about Nathan. Haley would drink so much that her mind would grow fuzzy, which gave no room for Nathan. She would drink till she fell into a dreamless slumber. She would drink so that it would give her a hangover the next morning, and she would have to focus on that rather than Nathan. _

_Even though the alcohol made her depressed, it made her happy that it was making her depressed. It helped her slowly get over Nathan, but little did she know was that it was making everything worse. _

_Brooke didn't know what was going on. She had been scurrying all over the place, asking money from her parents and relatives, which led to rejection. She managed to get a part time waitressing job at a popular restaurant, and after her shift ended, she would go to the local bar and bartend there. She made enough tips to pay the rent and managed to get enough groceries for the week. However, she was too preoccupied with staying alive to see if her friend was doing the same. _

_One day, Brooke came home from work in high spirits. "Hales, I got into FIDM!" she squealed, tossing her purse on one of the chairs. She was wary to see that all the lights had been turned off, and an empty bottle of scotch lying on the table. "Haley?" _

_When no one responded to her calls, Brooke began to panic and started searching around their tiny apartment. She found Haley lying on the bed, groaning softly and clutching her stomach. "Haley!" She rushed over to her side, almost tripping over another empty bottle. "Oh, God, what have you done?" She placed a cool hand on Haley's forehead, and was alarmed to find it warmer than usual. Brooke snapped the light switch on and with the light, she could see a pale, sweating Haley curled up in a ball. Brooke lifted Haley's eyelids and was frightened to see glassy, bloodshot eyes staring up at her rather than beautiful brown ones. _

"_Brooke?" mumbled Haley, struggling to keep her eyes open. _

"_Haley, what happened?" asked Brooke, her fear evident in her tone. A light bulb lit up, and she made the connection…the empty bottles…a sick Haley…but it didn't make sense. "Haley, have you been drinking?"_

_Haley just groaned. "No." _

_Brooke jumped up, and started searching for the phone. "No, Brooke, don't call a doctor," mumbled Haley. "I'm fine."_

"_No, you're not," Brooke told her firmly. "You're wasted. You could be poisoned for all I know!" _

"_I don't think I ate anything before I drank today," Haley groaned, rolling over on her side. Brooke rushed to her side. _

"_Don't move," she said, panicking. She tried remembering all those times when the same had happened to her, and Haley would take care of her. "Oh, God, why didn't I pay attention?" She started pacing the room, rushing to Haley's side every now and then. She really couldn't call a doctor; it was too expensive and they would have to have Haley's record on file, making it easy for anyone to look for her…oh, God, why was she thinking about that now? Brooke pushed those thoughts aside, and one night flashed through her head. _

_Brooke remembered being wasted after another fight with Lucas, and she remembered Haley had stayed with her. Haley had fed her…soup and ginger ale. Brooke ran to the kitchen and was relieved to find a half-empty bottle of ginger ale and a few cans of chicken noodle soup. She bustled around the kitchen, preparing the meal for Haley. _

_When she returned to the bedroom, Haley was sobbing hysterically. "Here, drink this." She shoved the tray towards Haley, who took it with shaking hands. _

_Haley managed to eat all of the soup and drink most of the ginger ale, and that seemed to help. But tears still streamed down her cheeks as she started to fall asleep. Brooke sat next to her, stroking her hair. "Shh, it'll be all right," she kept repeating. It was exactly like the night when they left for California. _

_Haley fell asleep, but kept whimpering every now and then. Brooke stayed up all night, holding her hand. At one point, Haley started crying again, and Brooke tried to calm her down. "I miss him, Brooke," she cried. "I love him so much. I miss Nathan." _

_It was the first time she had said his name in weeks. Brooke just hugged her, and she fell asleep. _

_Haley woke up with a pounding headache the next afternoon, and couldn't remember what she had said or did the night before. Brooke stayed home with her, nursing her back to health. Haley never tasted a drop of alcohol since._

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the girls squealing. Haley winced. She hadn't been in the car for more than an hour and already these girls were getting on her nerves. _And I thought Brooke was bad,_ she thought ruefully.

"We better be the first limo or else I'll just have a bitch fit," one of the brunettes said angrily. Haley gulped. "And I want to be the first one to see him."

"Uh, who made you queen?" one of the other girls demanded. "What if I want to be first?"

The brunette scoffed. "Please, Danielle, you don't want to scare him off the first night." All the girls, sans Haley, gasped.

The girl, Danielle, actually stood up as if to make her way to the other girl. She stumbled back into her seat when the limo went over a small bump. "Ouch! Okay, first of all, my name's Diana, and if you want all your fake hair to stay onto your head, you better watch it."

Haley held up her hand before a catfight could ensue. "Come on, you guys, we're mature young women. Can't we just be nice and…" she trailed off when her proposition was met with glares. "Never mind then."

The brunette was about to open her mouth and say something snappy to Haley, but the Asian girl beat her to it. "Who do you think the Bachelor is going to be? I heard they were considering Matthew Lawrence!" Haley shot her a grateful smile, which was tentatively returned.

"Yeah, I don't know about that, but all I know is if it's a redhead, I'm so out of here," replied Maya, flipping her hair.

"Hey!" squealed a redhead, who was sitting across from Haley.

Maya smiled thinly at her. "You look fine," she said stiffly. But when the redhead turned her head, Maya just rolled her eyes. Haley gulped again. She was way in over her head…there was no way she was going to make it out of the limo alive. No man was worth it. Maybe if the limo stopped at a red light, she could somehow jump out from the sunroof…

"We're here!" the girls squealed. Haley winced, and fought the urge to cover her ears.

"Dammit, the other limo is already here!" the brunette next to Haley growled. "I can't believe it!"

"Well, if little Miss Sunshine over here hadn't taken forever going to the bathroom then maybe we would have beaten them!" Diana snapped, glaring at Maya.

"Oh, so now it's my fault? How about when you…"

"Can anyone see the bachelor?" the redhead asked loudly. All the girls tried to look out through their windows, but they were parked behind a fountain, blocking their view. They groaned.

A cameraman poked his head into the limo. "Hey, ladies, how are you?"

"Good!" chirped all the girls. Haley was taken aback by the sudden mood change.

"Okay, the last girl from the first limo is almost finished speaking with our bachelor. I'll be here to tell you when you can go and meet him," the cameraman told them.

"I'm first," the brunette said quickly. All the other girls opened their mouths to protest, but the cameraman smiled.

"Great!" He poked his head outside, and for that split second, Haley was afraid that the girls were going to claw out the bossy girl's eyes out. But he opened the door all the way, and helped the girl out. "You're next. Good luck!"

When the door closed again, one of the girls commented, "I hate that bitch. I hope the bachelor sees what a whore she is."

"Yeah, and what horrible taste she has," added Diana, fiddling with her diamond necklace. "Did you see those shoes? They were so last season!"

"And you can totally tell that she got her nose done," another girl put in. "She should get her money back."

"Oh my God," Haley heard the Asian girl mutter.

"Can someone pass me another champagne?" the redhead called.

The brunette passed one to her. "Careful, sweetie, you don't want to be buzzed in front of national TV," she said in a singsong voice.

Haley's heart dropped. This was the part of the show that she dreaded the most. Unlike the past seasons, this show was filmed live. No edits or anything. Just raw reality. "It's because we're time-pressed and on a low budget," a sheepish Brooke had explained. "But the more drama the better!" Indeed.

The cameraman poked his head inside again. "Next."

Maya jumped up. "That would be moi." Haley suppressed the need to retch.

That's how the rest of Haley's time in the limo was spent. One girl would leave, and all the other girls would tear her apart, and then put on angelic smiles when the cameraman returned to receive the next girl. Only Haley, the Asian girl, and another blond shied away from the brutal executions.

Finally, only Haley and the Asian girl were left. The quiet blond had politely asked to go next, and they willingly let her go. Haley let out a deep breath. "Nervous?" the Asian girl asked, smiling a little.

"You have no idea," sighed Haley. The other girl laughed.

"Oh, but I do," she said, looking out the window. "I'm pretty sure your family didn't put you up for this." She made a face.

"Not quite. My friends, actually," corrected Haley, laughing a little.

"I don't get it. I finish school, have a decent job, and I'm pretty happy. I mean, I'm only 24. Isn't it a little too early for me to settle down?" the Asian girl wondered aloud, playing with an empty champagne bottle.

"Tell me about it," muttered Haley. She extended her hand to the girl. "I'm Hale…Reagan."

"Hello, Hale-Reagan," the Asian girl grinned, flipping her shiny black hair over her shoulder. "I'm Chatelaine." She pronounced it as "shat-uh-len."

"Oh, no, it's only Reagan," laughed Haley, shaking Chatelaine's hand. "That's such a pretty name. Is it French?" Okay, I get a boring name like Reagan Johnson, and this girl's first name is prettier and far more interesting than my entire name. She really must have studied those baby name books.

Chatelaine nodded ruefully. "I was born in Quebec, and my mother was obsessed with magazine," she said, shaking her head. "Really, how many parents name their children after magazines? And that's not it. My whole name is actually Chatelaine Marie Claire Nguyen." She sighed.

Haley laughed. "Well, I think it's a beautiful name. Better than Reagan Johnson."

"That's like, three presidents right?" asked Chatelaine. "Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan. What's your middle name?"

"Madison," joked Haley. "That makes it four." They laughed.

The cameraman, whose name was Rick, peered inside the limo once again. "Next?"

Haley and Chatelaine exchanged a look. "Do you want to go next?" ventured Chatelaine. Haley shrugged.

"You can go first, if you want to," Haley told her. Chatelaine's face lit up, and Haley knew that was exactly what she wanted. She squeezed Haley's hand before stepping outside the limo.

Haley was alone at last. She really enjoyed talking to Chatelaine and was glad she had at least made a friend. God knew what would happen to her if she was left alone with the sharks…er, the other bachelorettes.

It seemed like hours until Rick returned to retrieve Haley. "Ready, Bachelorette Number 25?" he grinned. Haley allowed a small grin before taking his hand to step outside of the comfy limo.

"He's a really nice fellow, all the other girls liked him," Rick told her as they crunched through the gravel. "We did have a few problems with a few of them. They were past tipsy. Not a great first impression for the first date," he chuckled.

When they reached at the end of the shadowed driveway, Rick lagged behind and told her that the cameras would start rolling once she walked in the light. Haley found that statement extremely amusing, and thanked Rick. She was nervous about being seen on national television, but little did she know that America was the least of her problems.

She couldn't really see the profile of the Bachelor, but she saw two figures standing by the steps, talking and laughing. They both had their backs turned to her. One had weird, tasteless hair and Haley hoped that he wasn't the man she was fighting for. The other was straight out of the storybook; dark, short hair and extremely tall. Haley knew that he would dwarf her by at least a foot.

As she approached the men, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Her heart was beating fast, she had these strange tingles…the only time she experienced these was when she was around…

Nathan.

And all of a sudden, Haley's world went black.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, you guys, I'm exhausted. I just had my last finals today, and my friends and I celebrated by heading over to Disneyland and California Adventure. Needless to say, all I want to do is just close my eyes and sleep. But I figured I owe you guys this chapter. And all I ask of you is to use your imagination. This plot was never intended for this fandom, so it was extremely difficult for me to convert the plotline. **

**The plot is more or less in order, but I don't know when I'll be able to update again. School's been a real bitch, and since I screwed up big time this semester, I really have to get my ass in gear this semester. And by the way I just guessed on 85 of my bio test, I'm figuring I won't be around as much. -cringe- Hopefully, I'll be able to have the next chapter up by spring break. And if I'm feeling good about myself, maybe I'll even update on my disasterous birthday, which just happens to land three days after the worst holiday. Brownie points to anyone who can guess my birthday. :)**

**But seriously, your reviews motivate me so much. I wrote ten pages in one day. How amazing is that? And there are so many people on my alert list, so even if you're a lurker, a nice "Good job!" or "What the hell were you thinking?" would make my day. Okay, the latter; not really. But you get what I mean. **

**Anyway, for those of you who finished finals, congratulations! And to those who are preparing to take it; good luck. **


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